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Star Wars Galaxies to shut down

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a bunch of Star Wars fans played an online MMO based on their favourite films. And then Sony Online pulled the plug on them, announcing that Star Wars Galaxies will shut down in December this year.

First launching back in 2003 after numerous delays and postponements, Galaxies was an initial smash hit for the franchise, one that managed to capture the spirit of the old film trilogy, balancing out the gameplay by blessing only a small handful of players with the ability to be Jedi.

After a controversial update that greatly simplified the experience however, Star Wars Galaxies saw a drop in subscriptions from their more dedicated consumers, a mistake on the part of Sony Online Entertainment, who say that they have learnt from the experience.

SOE president John Smedley described the move as a mutual business decision between them and Lucasarts, saying that with the Old Republic, a new Star Wars based MMO, on the horizon and the fact that the contract between the two companies set to expire in 2012 anyway, the shut down "feels like it’s the right time for the game to end."

Smedley has also mentioned that the Galaxies staff will be moved to work on a new project after the shut down, while Galaxies itself will go out with a bang with a series of “galaxy-ending in-game events”.

Source: Gamasutra.com

Last Updated: June 27, 2011

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