Game company EA has announced that it will be shutting down online service for “some older EA titles”. Included in the list is football game Madden NFL 09 (PS3 and Xbox 360), which was released in August 2008.
EA, it seems, has a different definition of “old”. 2009 just ended, days ago! Here is the list of titles whose online service will cease on February 2, 2010.
UEFA Champions League 07 PC and Xbox 360
Facebreaker Xbox 360 and PS3
Fantasy Football 09 Xbox 360 and PS3
FIFA 07 PSP, PS2, PC
Fight Night Round 3 PS2
Madden 07 Xbox 360
Madden 08 Wii
Madden 08 PC
Madden 09 Xbox1
Madden 09 Wii and PSP
Madden 09 Xbox 360 and PS3
March Madness 07 Xbox 360
NBA 07 PSP, Xbox 360
NBA 08 PS2, PSP, Wii
NBA 09 Wii – Europe only
NBA Street (2007) PS3 and Xbox 360
NCAA Football 08 PS2
NCAA Football 09 PS2
NASCAR 08 PS2
NASCAR 09 PS2
NASCAR 09 PS3 and Xbox 360 – Europe Only
NFL Tour PS3 and Xbox 360
NHL 07 PSP and Xbox 360
NHL 08 PC
Tiger Woods 07 PC
According to EA, it is possible to play online up to the date mentioned. Then, poof, EA pulls the plug. If only EA would release another Madden game. Hopefully, it will have online, too!
Andrew
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 9:08 PMOK, I can understand doing this for the games on PS2 and original Xbox, But 07 seems too soon, granted I’m used to playing Blizzards RPG’s online that still have bucket loads of players after a decade after release, and maybe sports games totally lose their audience after the new year’s edition comes out. But 09 is just downright ludicrous. Madden 09 had almost 5 million players, surely people are still playing it.
hristinho18
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 9:21 PMThis kills two birds for EA- a lot less maintenance on ‘older’ superceded titles, AND funnelling onliner fans into a forced upgrade to latest version of a title. That’s pretty clever, eh? Noo doot aboot it.
Adam Steel
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 11:35 PMCongratulations, EA, you’ve actually managed to take back a product people payed for after they already bought it. I mean, the servers don’t have to stay on for a hundred years, but shutting down Madden ’09 the minute ’09 ends a is fucking scummy thing to do.
Alinos
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 11:54 PMyeah at least the new versions of madden actually seem to add things
Thermal Ions
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 2:04 AMDisappointed – Yes. Surprised – No.
Evidence of why getting sucked into 07,08,09,10,… game series can get you screwed over by publishers.
glennc
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 7:54 PMthank god bad company is not on the list yet