NCsoft announced earlier this month that Carbine Studios, and its sci-fi MMO Wildstar, are being closed. Carbine has now announced that the shutdown will come on November 28, and will be preceded by "season in-game events" running on an accelerated schedule, so players can enjoy them all one last time.
"It’s never easy to say goodbye to something, especially something that has meant so much for so many—but the WildStar game service will close on November 28, 2018," the studio wrote in a "signing off" blog post. "From now until then we’re going to do everything we can to honor the WildStar community, and show thanks for your support."
The seasonal events schedule for the balance of the game will run as follows:
- September 26–November 28 - Double XP, Glory Days, Power Prestige and PvP, and Blessing of Essence will be on from now until shutdown.
- October 12–19 - Residential Renovation, with the Battle Chase reward set available during this occurrence.
- October 19–November 2 - Jack Shade is back to fright and delight in Shade’s Eve.
- November 9–23 - Protostar’s Gala Winterfest Extravaganza is back for one, last, shopping frenzy.
- November 24–27 - Take to the skies (or at least a foot off the ground) in the zPrix Invitational!
- November 28 - Join us in-game for the final few hours as we have some fun. More details to come!
The announcement also saw the release of Wildstar's final update, which will make the game's content more readily accessible to all players. Protobucks, Wildstar's real money currency, will be converted to gameplay-earned Omnibits, and all in-game store items, including seasonal, rotating costumes and mounts, and Signature Stations items, will be purchasable with Omnibits. Omnibit drops have been increased and the cap has been raised "substantially" to ensure that players can get their hands on the stuff they want, some endgame reputations can be maxed so that all faction vendor content is available, and all players will be given Signature status.
Refunds will be offered for any real-money purchases made since July 1, and prepaid Signature Memberships that extend past September 26 will also be refunded. Steam purchases made after July 1 will also be refunded.
"We are truly grateful for the vibrant community that grew around WildStar, and for all of your support throughout the life of this game. Our hope is that in these last couple months we can all celebrate the great adventures you’ve had on Planet Nexus—and have some fun along the way," Carbine wrote.
"Again, a most heartfelt thank you goes out from all of us to you for sharing this wild, intergalactic ride with us, and to helping make WildStar an experience that truly could not have been possible without you."
