Turbine CEO: Asheron's Call 2 MMOG to close in 4 months
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Aug 26th 2005 at 9:01AM }
Turbine CEO Jeffrey Anderson notified players of Asheron's Call 2, the massively
multiplayer online role-playing game that the game would be closing at the end of this year, a little more than three
years after the game's launch.
In his note, he wrote: "In spite of our hard work and the launch of Legions, AC2 has reached the point where it no longer makes sense to continue the service. We will be officially closing the Asheron's Call 2 service on 12/30/05. Until then, we plan to run live events, but we will not be adding any content or features."
The game's cancellation came as a surprise to some fans, though the writing was on the wall after disastrous reviews of the Asheron's Call: Legions expansion pack released this May and subscriber numbers that peaked at just 50,000 after the game's November 2002 launch and slid to somewhere south of 20,000 in recent data provided by MMOGchart.com.
At some point this fate will befall every MMOG, though when these games close depends in large part on the infrastructure costs of the game. Meridian 59 and Ultima Online have been kicking around for years because the companies that run them don't spend a lot of money to keep them going.
[Thanks, Boneyard]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tolbs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
sad to see. I've played this game on and off since launch, but I do agree that it's time. Microsoft screwed the pooch from the start and Turbine valiantly tried to save the game, but even they decided to cut down on the dev team too early. Too bad. This game had tons of potential and the community was and is the best part of the game.
RighteousDork @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I haven't played AC2 in a while, but remember it fondly. CoH and WoW have filled the MMOG gap in my life, since AC2. It was my first experience with a MMOG and it really blew me away. Up until that point, I had never played a game that looked that good. I will always have a soft spot for AC2 and I think it will have its place in the MMOG Hall of Fame. It was never the most popular MMOG out there, but it definitely forged its own path and had its own mythos. You won't find any dwarfs or gnomes in here, my friends. Maybe that lack of familiarity is what doomed the game. I don't know. Farewell AC2!
Parel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
AC2 was the first game that I quit because of the developers. I enjoyed AC1 and was really looking foward to a massive pve world like ac1 but without all the bots, and alligences whores.
The game had pvp, but they promissed non-pvpers that they would not be affected by it. 90% of the world was pve.
Problem was, all the high level 40+ were pvp, you had you pass thru portals into pvp areas to get to 2 or the most popular (and repeatable quest) and all the mines were in pvp zones.
The technically told the truth. 90% of the world was indeed pve yet to advance the last few levels (which was more that 50% of the total experience needed) .....
They lied, they died. No symapthy here.
Here's hoping the bunch of them become un employeed and never work in games again.
tolbs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
it was moreover getting pushed out the door early, unfufilled promises, delayed patches, bugs, and a small development team that killed ac2
VGH @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
What a horrible game,bout time to cancel it
Ross @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I used to love AC1, but never got AC2. Everyone who played AC1 and switch to AC2 always switched back because AC2 was so bad. But thank god Turbine is keeping AC1 running; that game is great.