I’m happy to report that the list of MMOs that sunsetted in 2020 was shorter than in previous years, but I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing the list were even shorter – or better yet, entirely empty.
Most notably, Nexon sunsetted MapleStory 2 after less than two years of operation in the west, plus Gamigo let Dragon’s Prophet go and Krafton closed down its western subsidiary, En Masse Entertainment, while bringing TERA more fully back in-house. And one of the wildest MMO stories of the year was the zombie-death of Chronicles of Elyria, whose boss announced the closure of the studio and end of development but has since reversed those moves. Life is Feudal is also entangled in a dispute that will apparently see it close down later this month.
As for other multiplayer titles, we saw Amazon nuke Crucible after it flopped, Frostkeep put Rend under, and CCP give up on yet another EVE-spinoff. Kickstarted MMOTCG HEX also turned it in its last cards, beleaguered by lawsuits.
Farewell, old friends.