"Star Wars Galaxies" Online Game to Close Dec. 15th

Someone once commented in Massive Multiplayer Online games, there’s World of Warcraft, and then there’s everything else. Among the “everything else” was “Star Wars Galaxies.” This was one of the few Massive Multiplayer Online games besides WoW that my friends in real life played.

Early on, this was the most noted sci-fi MMO besides Eve Online, and because of the Star Wars name better known to some. The game had some problems in the past. Most notably was a few years ago when the game was tweaked to make progress easier. Longtime players groaned, saying the game had been “nerfed.” Word was it the decision came from George Lucas, which got some grumbling “Galaxies” was an example of how not to run an MMO.

“Galaxies” continued on despite this, but the population dropped over time, in 2009 12 servers taken down. Still, continuing fixes over time brought the game back to a better quality eyes of some players. It also got a reputation as one of the best “sandbox” MMOs, that is the player was in an open world with many ways to persue his or her goals. There was also a strong social setting, players could kick back and relax at cantinas, there was even an “Entertainer” class. June 23rd was eight years after it’s launch date, and it seemed the game would be around for a while longer.

But the following day came an announcement from Sony and Lucasarts:


We write to you today to inform you that on December 15, 2011, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and LucasArts will end all services (MMO and Trading Card Game) for Star Wars Galaxies (SWG). The shutdown of SWG is a very difficult decision, but SOE and LucasArts have mutually agreed that the end of 2011 is the appropriate time to end the game.

We are extremely grateful to all of the SWG fans. We have had the rare opportunity to host one of the most dedicated and passionate online gaming communities and we truly appreciate the support we’ve received from each and every one of you over the course of the past eight years.

In recognition of your incredible loyalty, we are extending special Fan Appreciation offers to the current SWG community. We also plan to go out with a bang with a galaxy-ending in-game event in December and hope to see you all there. The details relating to these offers and events as well as the timeline and specifics regarding the discontinuation of the service, are provided below.

Again, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our player community for making SWG one of the best online communities in gaming history.

Players were shocked, and naturally called upon Sony & Lucasarts to reconsider. But the decision was final. In the words of one writer at “Massively,” Star Wars Galaxies was the “most significant” game to be shut down and closed.

In “Massively,” and presumably other gaming magazines and websites, various commentaries are being made about the game. There is another Star Wars MMO on the horizon, “The Old Republic.” But it won’t have the same style as Galaxies. Perhaps Lucasarts felt both games would be competing against one another.

I never did play the game, though as a Star Wars fan can’t help but feel sad for all those players.

“May the Force be with you.”

Source: Massively

Bixyl Shuftan