Over a dozen of EA's games will soon lose their online modes, as the company announced it will be shutting down the servers to 15 of its console and iOS offerings starting March 31.
The list of soon-to-be neutered titles includes EA Sports MMA, which was a showpiece for EA's Online Pass service when it released back in 2010. This is being seen by some as a bold move on EA's part, specifically because the Online Pass program was pitched as being a way to extend the life of its games.
See what other games will be getting unplugged below:
April 13, 2012
BOOM BLOX Bash Party for Wii
Burnout Revenge for Xbox 360
EA Create for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
EA Sports Active 2.0 for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for Wii
FIFA 10 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
The Godfather II for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
MMA for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Need for Speed ProStreet for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
The Saboteur (loss of The Midnight Club access) for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Spare Parts for PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
March 31, 2012
BATTLEFIELD 3: Aftershock for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
Fantasi Safari for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
Ghost Harvest for iPhone
EA Sports MMA isn't the only controversial shutdown. EA Bright Light's Spare Parts is also losing online support, despite the fact it's only been in digital stores since January 2011. EA justified its decisions in the announcement, saying, “As games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles to a level -- fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles -- where it’s no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running. We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games.”
That makes sense. However, it also begs the question of how soon is too soon for Online Pass titles, and when should companies stop selling online access to used purchasers. Your thoughts?
