News: Ubisoft To Shut Down Shadowbane

[News Bot]

tyen writes "Ubisoft has announced the shutdown of Shadowbane, the first major, fantasy role-playing MMO with true PVP (full asset destruction possible). The shutdown will take place in about two weeks, at the start of May. No official reason has been given by Ubisoft, but running an MMO for free for the past three years, with no significant improvement in market growth during that period, could play a part in the decision. There's been no response from Ubisoft yet on calls to open source the code. "

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[Olafson]

That's too bad, I was looking forward to this game when I heard about it.

[Ze-Tomb]

Damn, sounds like it a good game, my friend told me about it a lil while ago.

[Mega]

Always a shame to hear of an MMO going, even if youve never played it - as it will have fans just as we are fans of our MMO.

Tabula Rasa was the one I heard of disappearing prior to this one.

[Casay]

Curious to know if the game had any penalties of any kind for the members to sell their items irl? I really do think that the MMO's are missing out on huge profits by preventing their members from doing this instead of providing the environment and safe ability to use rl cash in game for this purpose. Many ppl will pay if they can instead of spending the hours and hours in game to obtain the items. Others only have the ability to spend the hours and it can be a win win for all.

[Mega]

Originally Posted by Casay

Curious to know if the game had any penalties of any kind for the members to sell their items irl? I really do think that the MMO's are missing out on huge profits by preventing their members from doing this instead of providing the environment and safe ability to use rl cash in game for this purpose. Many ppl will pay if they can instead of spending the hours and hours in game to obtain the items. Others only have the ability to spend the hours and it can be a win win for all.

Often you can be banned for selling virtual items in MMO's for real cash - and a few years ago Ebay came under enough pressure from the MMO companies that they banned selling virtual items on their service.

[Necros]

so sad to hear. i liked that game when i played it a year ago. too bad for all those players who liked it

[mandu]

I had JUST signed up too Oh well.

Anyone know any other games will full PVP and destructable assests?

[News Bot]

Ubisoft and Stray Bullet Games' PVP-focused MMORPG calling it quits six years after launch.



The first few months of 2009 have begun to resemble a graveyard for massively multiplayer online role-playing games. At the end of January, Namco Bandai and Flagship Studios' first-person shooter-role-playing hybrid Hellgate: London was taken offline. The following month, NCsoft turned the lights out on Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. Now, one more MMOG is in its death throes, as Ubisoft has announced that its fantasy online RPG Shadowbane will shut down on May 1.



"We come to you now with regret and sadness, but also happiness and pride," an Ubisoft representative wrote on the game's official Web site. "Regret and sadness that it has finally come to this and as of May 1, 2009, the Shadowbane servers will be powered down once and for all. Yet happiness that it lasted so very long, and pride to be able to stand before such a passionate community to thank you for your undying support and unwavering loyalty to Shadowbane."

Based heavily on player-versus-player online gaming, Shadowbane launched to mostly positive reviews in March 2003. After signing on to publish the title in 2001, Ubisoft eventually purchased the game's license and developer Wolfpack Studios. However, in 2006, shortly after revealing that Shadowbane would become a free-to-play, ad-supported venture, Ubisoft announced plans to close Wolfpack.

Many members of the defunct Wolfpack went on to form Stray Bullet Games, which was contracted by Ubisoft to continue supporting Shadowbane. The independent studio is currently at work on a new MMOG, rumored to be in development for the Nintendo Wii.


Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Shadowbane closing May 1" was posted by Tom Magrino on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:47:06 -0700


Feed provided by GameSpot

[News Bot]

Ubisoft and Stray Bullet Games' PVP-focused MMORPG calling it quits six years after launch.



The first few months of 2009 have begun to resemble a graveyard for massively multiplayer online role-playing games. At the end of January, Namco Bandai and Flagship Studios' first-person-shooter role-playing hybrid Hellgate: London was taken offline. The following month, NCsoft turned the lights out on Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa. Now, one more MMOG is in its death throes, as Ubisoft has announced that its fantasy online RPG Shadowbane will shut down on May 1.



"We come to you now with regret and sadness, but also happiness and pride," a Ubisoft representative wrote on the game's official Web site. "Regret and sadness that it has finally come to this and as of May 1, 2009, the Shadowbane servers will be powered down once and for all. Yet happiness that it lasted so very long, and pride to be able to stand before such a passionate community to thank you for your undying support and unwavering loyalty to Shadowbane."

Based heavily on player-versus-player online gaming, Shadowbane launched to mostly positive reviews in March 2003. After signing on to publish the title in 2001, Ubisoft eventually purchased the game's license and developer Wolfpack Studios. However, in 2006, shortly after revealing that Shadowbane would become a free-to-play, ad-supported venture, Ubisoft announced plans to close Wolfpack.

Many members of the defunct Wolfpack went on to form Stray Bullet Games, which was contracted by Ubisoft to continue supporting Shadowbane. The independent studio is currently at work on a new MMOG, rumored to be in development for the Nintendo Wii.


Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

"Shadowbane closing May 1" was posted by Tom Magrino on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:47:06 -0700


Feed provided by GameSpot