Over the past month, the multiplayer matchmaking service GameSpy has been closing down servers across a selection of games. Slashdot user OldTimeRadio reports that games such as Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, SWAT 4, Sniper Elite, Hidden and Dangerous 2, Wings of War and Star Wars: Battlefront will no longer let players search for, and in some cases host, online matches.
This move comes only months after GameSpy’s acquisition by GLU Mobile, a publisher of “freemium” games across mobile, tablet and browsers, in August.
Rebellion, the developers of Sniper Elite, made an official announcement, explaining the situation to their community, in which they state that, “this decision by Glu was not taken in consultation with us and was beyond our control.”
“We have been talking to them since to try and get the servers turned back on. We have been informed that in order to do so would cost us tens of thousands of pounds a year – far in excess of how much we were paying previously.”
Rebellion go on to say that, because of the way the GameSpy middleware is integrated into the title, switching to a new multiplayer provider would involve a significant redevelopment that would also be too costly for the studio.
“While we are not happy about the situation, as an independent developer we simply do not have the resources to pay the massive costs of new servers along with redeveloping a seven-year-old game.”
Over at their Facebook page, GameSpy have only been responding to questions about Battlefront’s online support. “Lucas Arts no longer supports the title so we’re obligated to disable the service per our Agreement with them.”
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