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Working As Intended: The MMOs we lost in 2014
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about how Vanguard's early stumbles foreshadowed the changing MMORPG industry. In January 2007, when Vanguard lurched its way to launch, the genre was barely a decade old; it was booming, and it had never suffered hardship on a massive scale. In the west, we'd seen only three "major" MMOs sunset (Motor City Online, Earth and Beyond, and Asheron's Call 2), and only one MMO, Anarchy Online, had "gone F2P," though we hadn't yet thought to call it yet because it was such a rare and new thing. In fact, it wasn't until 2008's first big wave of AAA, post-World of Warcraft MMOs launched and mostly flopped that MMORPG players gave much thought to the future of the genre and how WoW had reshaped (and possibly broken) it. Maybe not even then. Here in 2015, sunsets are commonplace, and the vast majority of modern MMOs have adopted some sort of subscriptionless model. Last year, we lost more than a dozen MMOs, including Vanguard itself, all of them wiped from the face of the earth (at least until someone decides to resurrect them), and several more under development were canceled, leading to concern among industry watchers like those of us who pen for Massively. Let's try to get some perspective and revisit the MMOs we lost in 2014.
Disney shutters Star Wars Attack Squadrons
Disney has just announced that Star Wars Attack Squadrons will cease operations in the wake of its closed beta test. A message on the official site reads, "We want to thank all of the fans who participated in the closed beta of Star Wars: Attack Squadrons. After much consideration, we have decided to cease development so that we can focus on other Star Wars game experiences. We truly appreciate the time you spent engaging in the beta." The company first revealed the game in December 2013 as a Star Wars dogfighting space combat title set in pseudo-MMO-like 16-player environments.
Star Wars: Attack Squadrons now accepting beta applicants
Disney is now accepting player applications for a closed beta version of Star Wars: Attack Squadrons, a free-to-play online game that recreates iconic space combat scenes from the original Star Wars film trilogy. Attack Squadrons features a variety of PVP modes in which players battle factions of customizable X-wings, TIE fighters, and other familiar spacecraft in browser-based skirmishes. The game allows up to 16 players to fight it out in a free-for-all Deathmatch mode, while Team Dogfight and Base Defense modes encourage cooperation among your fellow pilots. If you experience issues signing up for the beta, Disney is working on a fix, and signups should be available again shortly. A release date for Star Wars: Attack Squadrons has not been announced.
Disney announces Star Wars: Attack Squadrons
There's a new online multiplayer Star Wars game coming to a computer near, near to you. Today, Disney Interactive announced that it's been working on Star Wars: Attack Squadrons, a space combat title for 2014. Star Wars: Attack Squadrons will put pilots into the cockpits of classic attack craft like the X-Wing and TIE Interceptor, fighting against each other in 16-player environments. Disney promised plenty of ships and iconic locations for the game. You can sign up for the beta that will start next year as well as check out screenshots and the announcement trailer below.
