The original MMO and trading card game from George Lucas, Star Wars Galaxies, is being shut down at Sony Online in December.
While no one at Lucas will come right out and say it, it’s not difficult to see that the upcoming opening of The Old Republic no doubt had a lot to do with their decision, which both sides say was a mutual one. Galaxies had been waning over the years and recent events have not helped matters. The hacking of Sony’s servers caused all of their networks to be taken down from the internet while they underwent a massive scrub down. They brought the servers back up and offered extensions to the subscriptions, but the damage had already been done.
This and a couple of controversial updates such as the one that opened up the Jedi class to everyone had ruffled feathers in the game world. But at the time, it wasn’t like there was an alternative to go to, and so most players just learned to live with it. The free character transfer, while good for the players that wanted to switch, also brought with it the shut down of a lot of the servers, causing everyone to move whether they wanted to or not. Not really that big a hassle, but enough to push some over the edge.
While it is thought that Star Wars: The Old Republic is being released in late December 2011, that is not been officially guaranteed. In fact, the developers have even stated that it may not happen and the game may be pushed back again until 2012, leaving some of the Galaxy players out in the cold for a bit. So let's hope that they make that date.
We will miss the card game Champions of the Force. With over 100 cards to find, barter, and battle with other players, the deck had become an integral part of the experience and a fun diversion. It gave people a reason to socialize with others in the game, versus just the standard MMORPG, giving it another step up. It also helped Sony tap into that extra market for some additional cash above the subscription prices.
So what happens now?
Right now, all digital trading card packs will not be available anymore from the marketplace and there will be no 3 month, 6 month or 12 month subscription plans sold
September 15th – If you are in good standing, you will be able to play for free after this date until the end. If you have let your character lapse, you will need to reactivate it before this date in order to take advantage of the free time and to participate in the in-game end of the galaxy event. Loot cards will not be redeemable after this date either. And no new accounts or re-activations will be accepted beyond this point.
October 15th – All billing for subscribers will end on this date. If you had a subscription that would expires after that, you will be refunded for the amount prorated to how many days you have remaining after October 15th. You won’t get the refund, however, until as much as 90 days after the game ends.
December 15th – Star Wars Galaxy will be completely shut down. In the last week, you’ll be able to participate in an end of the galaxy event, which has not yet been detailed, but will happen inside the game and the publisher says it will be a fitting tribute in thanks to those that have been gaming with them.
