EA shutting down "older" Facebook games

[Thunder Glove]

Not that I think anyone here is big into Playfish games on Facebook, but...

EA announced about three hours ago that they're shutting down all their Playfish Facebook games, including The Sims Social (which just won an award for Best Social Game of 2012 a few months ago), Sim City Social (which is less than a year old), Pet Society, and Madden NFL Superstars '11 and '12 ('13 is developed by a different company, so it's staying up).  They're giving no refunds.

EA may have even shut the Playfish studios down entirely, but they're refusing to comment on the matter.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/15/ea-retiring-playfish-facebook-games/

The Playfish forums, as expected, are filled with absolutely livid players demanding their money back.

[TimtheEnchanter]

I have to wonder what will happen once the whole world of humans figures out that it's expendable.

[Shenku]

I have to wonder what will happen once the whole world of humans figures out that it's expendable.

I think most people already know.

I have to wonder what will happen when a majority of them actually care about that fact and try to do something about it.

[SeaLily]

If Zynga's massive downhill slide didn't tell you that Facebook games had finished their run, EA pulling out certainly does.  You don't shut down a Sims title without having some good reason behind it- especially Sims Social, which I know was still pretty active generally.

Still, it's weird that we seem to be in a "year of the death of games" lately.  After CoH, there was Glitch, then Rockband and Dance Central's DLC pipeline shut down entirely, then Dungeon Fighter Online, and now these.

I wonder what's next.

[FlyingCarcass]

This is why I'm very hesitant to purchase or otherwise spend money on online-only games post-CoH, as much as I enjoy some like Blacklight Retribution and Planetside 2. CoH's closure left me somewhat soured when it comes to online games... I feel burned (but of course I'm probably preaching to the choir here). Plus there's also the issue of, "While I could purchase this gun for $10, I could also purchase another game for that price. Or some hamburgers. I like hamburgers." I think it would help loosen my wallet if online game companies were to guarantee they'd keep servers online for at least X number of years from launch, but I don't think they ever will.

[Shenku]

This is why I'm very hesitant to purchase or otherwise spend money on online-only games post-CoH, as much as I enjoy some like Blacklight Retribution and Planetside 2. CoH's closure left me somewhat soured when it comes to online games... I feel burned (but of course I'm probably preaching to the choir here). Plus there's also the issue of, "While I could purchase this gun for $10, I could also purchase another game for that price. Or some hamburgers. I like hamburgers." I think it would help loosen my wallet if online game companies were to guarantee they'd keep servers online for at least X number of years from launch, but I don't think they ever will.

I think a better solution would be for companies to either make online games have an offline functional state, or they release official server software (even if you have to purchase it separately from the game) so that in the event of a game shutdown it will still be playable.

Heck, if NCSoft decided on a whim to start selling the server software for CoH for $99.99 or some such exorbant fee as a digital download with a limited use non-commercial license(cheaper to maintain download server farms than maintaining active game servers, I imagine. Also easier to outsource to other websites while still collecting revenue), I'd buy it in a heart beat.

Somehow I doubt any developers or publishers out there(especially NCSoft) would ever do that without a strong shove from the consumers, and even then it'd be a long shot, and definitely not adapted to the majority of existing titles...

[DarkCurrent]

If Zynga's massive downhill slide didn't tell you that Facebook games had finished their run, EA pulling out certainly does.  You don't shut down a Sims title without having some good reason behind it- especially Sims Social, which I know was still pretty active generally.

Still, it's weird that we seem to be in a "year of the death of games" lately.  After CoH, there was Glitch, then Rockband and Dance Central's DLC pipeline shut down entirely, then Dungeon Fighter Online, and now these.

I wonder what's next.

I find this funny because somewhere I recall reading that NCSoft, their purchase of Ntreev and stock sale to Nexon was all part of their grand new direction into mobile gaming or some such.  If so, looks like they missed the 'next big thing' again.

[Golden Girl]

Just another example of corporate scum poisoning gaming.

[Aggelakis]

I find this funny because somewhere I recall reading that NCSoft, their purchase of Ntreev and stock sale to Nexon was all part of their grand new direction into mobile gaming or some such.  If so, looks like they missed the 'next big thing' again.

There's a difference between Facebook games and mobile games. Facebook games are limited to Facebook, requiring a desktop or laptop computer, or some tablets (most tablets forward www.facebook.com to the Facebook app) to play. This is why Facebook games are diminishing. Facebook gaming is way down, but mobile gaming is BOOMING. (Note, most mobile games have a Facebook Connect option, but again, most do not REQUIRE a Facebook Connect option.)

[Ad_Astra]

One big difference I have found between Facebook games (of which I play a few) and mobile games on my iPad (again, I play a few, something had to fill the gaping hole in my free time that used to be filled with CoH) is that many Facebook games require Flash, which I don't have on my tablet. Therefore, I can read Facebook on the iPad, but I can't play the games. If this specific piece of saftware wasn't required, I would happily play my Facebook games on my mobile device.

I spend a bit of money on FB games, picking up a bit of in-game currency, since I have an extra $15 sitting around unused every month, but I would never drop more than that on them, so losing what I spent on a Facebook game is no big deal to me, but I guess YMMV.

[Illusionss]

I wonder what's next.

What may be next is gamers everywhere realizing that their favorite game has a target on its head.

The activities of these gaming companies are risky to the entire gaming genre. When gamers lose trust, these profit-only predators will truly have killed the goose that lays all their golden eggs.

I'll laugh when and if it happens, because EA and like entities will totally deserve it. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.