MMORPGs require a massive investment from their players. This usually comes not in the form of money, but instead time. In order to compete at the highest levels, players must often spend hundreds or even thousands of hours leveling up their players and turning in quests. That may sound like hell to casual gamers, but to MMO players, it's all part of the fun. Unfortunately, like any investment, there is a risk involved.
All of a player's hard work counts for nothing if and when the game's developer decides to end service. Games like WoW and Final Fantasy XIseem destined to keep going forever, but the average MMORPG game is not nearly as lucky. Many struggle to make it to the end of their first year while others end up shutting down long before players have had their fill. As a result, the MMORPG graveyard is full of titles that were buried long before their planned life cycles had come to an end.
Updated April 13, 2022, by Tom Bowen: Given how much time and commitment is required to find success in most modern MMORPGs, many players can be a little apprehensive about trying out new ones. While part of this is down to the sheer volume of online role-playing games available today, the fact that many of these MMORPGs end up shutting down long ahead of their best-before dates is also a legitimate fear, with players keen to avoid pouring hundreds of hours of their lives (and often, hundreds of dollars too) into a game that could be gone in the blink of an eye. As fans of the genre will be all too aware, a lot of big MMORPGs end up shutting down far sooner than their developers had initially intended.
12 Cloud Pirates (2017 – 2017)
One Piece fans had high hopes for Cloud Pirates when it launched in April 2017. Unfortunately, those hopes were brought crashing to the ground just five months later when the game was sent to its watery grave. On paper, it seemed like publisher My.Com had gotten everything right in the build-up to the game's launch. Despite this, the game just never really took off.
According to some reports, Cloud Pirates averaged just over 500 players in its first month, and this number quickly dwindled to around 100. After just four months, an end-of-service announcement was made and the game was gone within 30 days. The publisher did push out one final update to give the game a proper send-off, but this likely didn't console the players who had invested their time and money into the game.
11 Concerto Gate (2007 – 2013)
Concerto Gate was co-developed by Ponsbic and Square Enix and had all of the hallmarks of a great MMORPG. It used a grid-based combat system mixed together with a combination of turn-based and real-time elements. There were also terraforming mechanics involved – with players able to shape the fictional kingdom of Fahren over the course of weeks and months.
The game launched in Japan in 2007, but plans for a North American release were shelved after an underwhelming closed beta in Early 2008. The game did find moderate success in Asia though, with servers in Japan, China, and Taiwan remaining live until 2013. It's not entirely clear why North American players didn't respond well to the game, but as a result, not many had the chance to try this interesting title.
10 Life is Feudal (2018 – 2021)
Three years may seem like a fairly good innings for a Medieval simulator with sandbox elements, but, like a five-game test match series, Life is Feudal could and perhaps should have gone on for quite a bit longer. Granted, the PvP elements of the game were a little Rust-like in nature, which could make survival quite difficult for new players at times, but this didn't stop the majority of players from enjoying what was on offer.
One thing that did frustrate a lot of players, however, was the heavy grind, which, when combined with the challenges posed by and potential consequences of PvP combat, was enough to drive many players away from the game. The final nail in the coffin came via a legal dispute between the game's developer and publisher, which led to the MMORPG shutting down everywhere but China in early 2021.
9 Faxion Online (2011 – 2011)
After a decade of developing console games, UTV Ignition Entertainment decided to try its hand at an MMORPG. The resulting title was Faxion Online. The game was built using the Hero Engine and the areas of its world were themed after the seven deadly sins. Players were either part of the forces of heaven or the forces of hell and battled for control of territory.
Despite its interesting concepts, the game was only live for three months. Whether or not the shutdown was connected to Disney's acquisition of UTV or simply the result of poor player numbers remains unclear. What is clear is that Faxion Online had the potential to be a great title, but ultimately failed to live up to it.
8 Glitch (2011 – 2012)
Glitch was a 2D browser-based MMORPG developed by Tiny Speck. It ran using Adobe Flash Player and was live for just over a year. Rather than focusing on combat, Glitch encouraged players to work together to complete quests and help to shape the game's landscape. Players could plant trees and flowers and could even cook food.
Despite being in and out of beta throughout its lifetime, the game was able to build up a small but dedicated fanbase. Reviewers were also impressed with the game, although some had concerns about how accessible it was to newer players. To help combat this, Tiny Speck appointed some players to act as guides to help new players come to grips with the game's mechanics. It was a nice idea, but it failed to keep the game afloat.
7 Dungeon Runners (2007 – 2010)
NCSoft is one of the more experienced companies in the MMO market, but back in 2007, they were still a little green. Dungeon Runners was one of their first ventures into the genre, but it seemed like it had everything it needed to be successful. The game adopted a classless system and featured gameplay similar to Diablo. It was set in a medieval fantasy world and leaned heavily on its satirical humor at times.
Reviewers responded positively to Dungeon Runners when it launched in 2007, but the game was never quite able to build up a large enough player base. As a result, it was shut down in January 2010. Subscribers were provided with a digital copy of City of Heroes (another MMORPG that was shut down too soon) to make up for any inconvenience, but many players felt like Dungeon Runners had a lot more left to give.
6 Kritika Online (2017 – 2022)
It would be difficult to talk about dead MMORPGs without at least mentioning Kritika Online; an online anime brawler that has the unfortunate honor of having shut down not once, but twice. The first time this happened was in April of 2019, when western servers for the game were unceremoniously shut down due to low player numbers. Seven months later, however, the game resurfaced as Kritika: Reboot.
Despite garnering plenty of positive reviews on Steam, Kritika: Reboot was never able to manage more than 4,000 online players at any given time. Worse still, after just ten months, the number of peak players had fallen to the low hundreds, leading to the game once again shutting up shop in February of 2022. Fans were no doubt happy for the extra three years, but losing it for a second time was a bitter pill to swallow for many.
5 The Chronicles Of Spellborn (2008 – 2010)
In many ways, The Chronicles of Spellborn was a typical MMORPG. Many of the game's mechanics were standard for the time and its story was nothing special. Where Spellborn differed though was through its use of equipment. Unlike other games, Spellborn's armor was purely cosmetic meaning that growth was dictated primarily through questing rather than grinding for gear. It was a charming game that offered something a little different.
Unfortunately, the developers went bankrupt shortly after the title's North American release. Although Acclaim would later announce plans to redevelop the game, the servers were shut down in August 2010 and the redeveloped version never saw the light of day. Fans did set up a private server to keep the game alive in spirit, but officially the title is dead.
4 Black Prophecy (2011 – 2012)
Black Prophecy was an incredibly ambitious game featuring space combat and two distinct races of enhanced superhumans. Esteemed sci-fi writer Michael Marrak was involved with the game's development and contributed to the creation of both the game's story and its setting. Combat was a mixture of PvP and PvE, and trading & crafting also featured heavily.
After a successful open beta, the game went live in March 2011 and used a freemium model with premium items available through the game's shop. Black Prophecy reviewed fairly well – although many found the combat a little boring due to some of its team-based elements. Despite early success, the servers were shut down just 18 months after launch, leaving many players to wonder what might have been.
3 Marvel Heroes (2013 – 2017)
Marvel Heroes went through several iterations during its lifetime but for all intents and purposes was an MMORPG featuring Marvel characters. In many ways, it was similar to Marvel's Avengers, albeit without such aggressive monetization. The game featured raid encounters, unlockable characters, and a fairly elaborate skill tree system.
It lasted just over four years before servers went offline in November 2017. Although Marvel Heroes lasted longer than most MMORPGs, many fans were disappointed with the speed with which the shutdown happened – with just 12 days separating the end of service announcement and the shutdown itself. This was made worse by the fact that the game had only been released on consoles five months prior. Some refunds were given, but the publisher was unable to refund the players' wasted time.
2 Rusty Hearts (2011 – 2014)
Rusty Hearts was an ambitious MMORPG developed by Stairway Games and released in 2011. The game featured nine distinct playable characters and had a rich story that spanned several centuries. The visuals were heavily inspired by anime and the gameplay was fast-paced – although perhaps a little too simple for some peoples' tastes.
That didn't stop the game from impressing critics and players though, with it achieving positive reviews and ratings from both groups. Unlike similar titles, Rusty Hearts was very f2p friendly which helped to attract a fair amount of players. Unfortunately, this business model likely contributed to the game's early demise. Just over three years after its release, servers were shut down.
1 Tabula Rasa (2007 – 2009)
Tabula Rasa was a game with more potential than it knew what to do with. With a captivating story and a fantastic combat system, for the game to only have survived for 16 months is an absolute tragedy. The game reviewed well and those who played it loved it. Unfortunately, it just wasn't able to gain a foothold in the competitive and crowded MMO market.
This wasn't helped by the publisher's marketing strategy. Tabula Rasa was released with a $50 price tag meaning that it had a high price of entry compared to some of the competition. Although the game was made free to play a few months later, this wasn't enough to stop the rot. Just over a year after release, an open letter was sent out confirming that the game would be shutting down.