Electronic Arts has revealed that Battlefield Hardline, a Battlefield spin-off title that was released in 2015, will have its support ended, with the game also being delisted before the end of June. When the process is complete, it’ll be the second EA game to be shut down this year, with Anthem also suffering the same fate in early January.
In a post shared on social media, Battlefield revealed that, beginning Friday, May 22, Hardline will be removed from digital storefronts, meaning you’ll no longer be able to purchase it or any accompanying DLC.
Then, on Monday, June 22, a month after its delisting, the servers for the game will officially shut down. Those on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will still be able to play the game’s single-player component, but the multiplayer suite will no longer be accessible.
Of note, the PC version of Battlefield Hardline will not be impacted by these proceedings, and its online services will still be available.
“Thank you for your understanding!” the post on social media concluded.
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It’s a major bummer for a game that sold over 8 million units, per Insider Gaming, albeit a feeling that gamers have come to know as more and more games cease operations outright.
Stop Killing Games Has Been Created To Try And Combat This New Phenomenon
In the midst of mass shutdowns and delistings, gamers have created an initiative, aptly titled “Stop Killing Games,” which sets out do what its name implies. It was created in response to Ubisoft announcing that it would shut down The Crew, an always-online video game that eventually became nothing more than a paperweight for those who purchased it.
“The basic message is when you buy a copy of a game, you should get to keep it, and publishers shouldn’t be able to destroy what you already paid for,” Ross Scott, the mastermind behind the campaign, said. “This concept is so basic it’s still a joke we even have to fight for this. So don’t let the industry throw you off the scent, especially in the future. If something doesn’t pass the smell test, push back.”
The movement has footing in the EU, where the idea is that if it succeeds there, change could be enacted worldwide.
Naturally, there’s been push back against this movement, as the industry has argued that it’s “too expensive for developers and publishers to offer private servers or single-player modes” and self-run servers could cause additional liabilities.
In the end, until something serious is enacted, delistings like the one announced on Monday will be commonplace. At least in this case, the single-player component is still accessible.
- Released
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March 17, 2015
- ESRB
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m
- Developer(s)
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Visceral Games
- Engine
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Frostbite
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
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