Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

EA to shut down online servers for 13 of its games

By
ea-games-logo-money-cash
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Brace yourselves, EA gamers. Electronic Arts is up to its old tricks. The publisher has announced that it will be shutting down multiplayer servers for more than a dozen of its action and sports games. These games either have low multiplayer traffic or are sports games that are being replaced with new versions. That’s right: if you buy an EA Sports game, you have one year to play it online before it’s shut down. These shutdowns will go into effect August 11, 2011. Last year’s version of Madden and NHL will be shut down Oct. 1, 2011.

In its service update, EA claims these decisions were made with much difficulty: “The decisions to retire older EA games are never easy. The development teams and operational staff pour their hearts into these games almost as much as the customers playing them and it is hard to see one retired. But as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point — fewer than 1% of all peak online players across all EA titles — where it’s feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running. We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games. We hope you have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of the games and we appreciate your ongoing patronage.”

Recommended Videos

Of course, 99 percent of players might not abandon last year’s Madden if they knew EA wasn’t going to shut it down, but we suppose that’s beside the point. Without further delay, here are the closures.

August 11, 2011 Online Service Shutdown

  • ARMY OF TWO™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
  • ARMY OF TWO™ Demo for Xbox 360
  • Battlefield 2142™ Demo for PC
  • Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ for Xbox 360
  • Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ Demo for Xbox 360
  • Medal of Honor Airborne™ for PlayStation Portable
  • Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
  • NASCAR® 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America)
  • NCAA® Basketball 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
  • NCAA® Football 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
  • Need for Speed™ Most Wanted for PC and Xbox 360
  • Need for Speed™ Undercover for PlayStation Portable;
  • SKATE™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
  • Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii
  • Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 Demo for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

October 1, 2011 Online Service Shutdown

  • Madden NFL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
  • NHL® 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Topics
Jeffrey Van Camp
Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Shadow Labyrinth, Pac-Man’s gritty Metroidvania, launches this summer
A giant monster shoots fire in Shadow Labyrinth.

Shadow Labyrinth, Bandai Namco's refreshingly gritty take on Pac-Man, is launching on July 18. First announced at The Game Awards 2024, Shadow Labyrinth isn't exactly what anyone expected for a new Pac-Man game.

Rather than the traditional, ghost-dodging and orb-eating gameplay, Shadow Labyrinth takes things a step further with exploration elements more in line with Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight. While the game is never explicitly described as such, all of the elements are there. You explore, fight enemies, and grow stronger by consuming fallen foes, and expand your abilities to go proceed deeper into the labyrinth itself.

Read more
Rhythm Heaven Groove brings a cult classic series to Switch next year
Little aliens dancing in Rhythm Heaven Groove.

A brand new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series was announced during the March Nintendo Direct. Rhythm Heaven Groove is currently slated to arrive sometime in 2026.

The trailer for Rhythm Heaven Groove came late in the Nintendo Direct presentation and featured a set of charming characters walking along a path with basic instructions on how the game works. It shows off a little character jumping through hoops in time to the music to score points. The narrator hints that there will be more activities that you will do beyond jumping through hoops, but everything will revolve around pressing buttons on the beat. For example, we see glimpses of jumping cat dolls, birds flying, and a man using a giant hammer to flatten cans. Unfortunately for those who have been eagerly awaiting a new entry in the series, the wait will be a long one. This upcoming Switch game won't arrive until 2026.

Read more
We just got some juicy new Pokémon Legends: Z-A details
Pokemon Legends Z-A Battle Zones

During the February 2025 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will launch in late 2025, although no specific date was revealed. Nintendo unveiled a new trailer showcasing some new information about the game, such as the baseline plot. Taking place in Lumiose City, the metropolis in Pokémon X and Y, the location is going through an urban development plan so that both people and Pokemon can coexist.

Wild Zones are areas where wild Pokemon can live within the city and can be caught. Some are hostile and may chase after you. Wild Pokemon aren't restricted to Wild Zones either, as they can be found in places like rooftop buildings.

Read more