Asheron’s Call is sunsetting next week — that much we know. But beyond that, we don’t know a whole lot about the rushed circumstances of the sunset, which is a little bit odd to those of us who’ve now saluted as dozens of games have been lowered into the ground. Turbine’s announcement was bereft of information. Standing Stone Games has refused to discuss Asheron’s Call at all, which must be killing them as they’re the ones who kept it going. It’s left the Save AC community confused and infighting as some folks are racing against the clock to packet-log the game for a future illegal emulator and others are trying to negotiate and raise funds to buy the game outright — or even just license it for player-run servers as was once promised.
One persistent rumor swirling around the MMORPG world right now relates to the day after the sunset. A leader of the Save AC movement told players last week that Turbine and Warner Brothers have formally told the group that they’re “not able to keep the game running or entertaining offers to provide the game to a third party,” but there’s a suggestion that WB will be making some sort of announcement the day after the sunset.
Some folks think Turbine has already sold it to another party, or that the companies need to sunset in a hurry before they can restart it again or lease out private servers without violating the terms of the 50-year lifetime subs agreement players purchased. Other people think it’s over and are just moving to save what they can.
Do you think Turbine and WB are planning a big announcement following the sunset? Or is this a lost cause? What do you think is going on?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
