Electronic Arts will be shutting down servers for 12 of its games by the end of 2023, including several classic Battlefield titles.
The closure of servers is a sad inevitability when it comes to live service games. Occasionally, we see the opposite happen - as we have with the restoration of classic Call of Duty servers alongside those of Titanfall 2 - but it’s rare. When you’re a fan of a live service game, you can only hope that its shutdown lines up with the natural petering out of the game’s popularity. That’s what we’ve seen with Marvel’s Avengers. It’s a shame, but the game simply wasn’t drawing in enough players. EA is the next publisher to announce a number of closures, with 12 games to be shut down in the next three months.
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As reported by Gamerficial, EA explained that shutting down these games will allow them to focus on more actively played titles. In fact, they argue that the following 12 games account for less than 1% of all of EA’s live service players.
One game has already been shut down, Crysis 3, last month in September. Throughout October, Crysis 3 will be joined by Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 (on 10 October) and Restaurant DASH: Gordon Ramsay (on 30 October). On 6 November, many FIFA titles will have the plug pulled including FIFA 18, FIFA 19, FIFA 20, and FIFA 21. Finally, on 8 December, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield Bad Company, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Dead Space 2, and Dante’s Inferno will have their servers shutdown.
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If, for nostalgia’s sake, you want to revisit any of the aforementioned games’ online components, you’re going to want to do so now before it’s too late.
Topics: EA, Battlefield