We recently highlighted our favorite overlooked strategy games, including Ubisoft's 2007 RTS, World in Conflict. As we sang its praises, we noted that "World in Conflict never quite received the dues it deserved." What we didn't know at the time was that developer Massive had recently decided to shut down all online functions for the game.
"It was a very difficult decision to make but for several reasons it is not possible to keep the servers online anymore," a post on the game forums announced. "This includes Massgate, the game severs and the forums, which means it will only be possible to play campaign and LAN games after that." Though the cost of servers against the game's income isn't listed explicitly, the game's low popularity was undoubtedly part of the math. In the past year, a maximum of 125 players have played World in Conflict at once—surely not enough to make supporting an eight-year-old game worth Ubisoft's money.
The community wasn't dead, though. According to World in Conflict fan Jason Mannion, a Change.org petition soon circulated through the small community. Though the 439 signatories weren't enough to meet the petitions own goals, it was enough to catch Ubisoft's attention. This afternoon, Ubisoft posted that it has decided to postpone the October 6 shutdown date while it weighs other options.
"We are still investigating some potential community based solutions," the update says. "No promises, but we are looking into it. We want to make sure all options are exhausted before we shut it down."
"This is great news for the WiC community," Mannion told PC Gamer. "The story isn't over yet. It remains to be seen if Massive can ultimately save WiC in the long term. Nonetheless, this is a big victory for WiC fans."
