10 MMOs That You Will Never Play Again!
MMOs are becoming a dying breed. With the popularity of them dropping over the years, less and less developers want to put their time and effort into making these highly complex, high maintenance, super addictive games.
Part of the issue is simply the cost to keep these games running, when you think how long games like World of Warcraft and Eve Online have been going for (20+ Years), who by the way are both successful MMOs that make money, imagine how much it costs a niche indie study to keep their game a float.
Even if a MMO does die, luckily there is usually a dedicated fan base who will do their best to setup an emulator or private server at their own expense, in order to keep the game running…
However, some games are simply lost forever and here are 10 that you simply can not play anymore.
Roma Victor (2006 – 2011)
Roma Victor was released in PVP centric MMO, based during the Roman reign and set in Britain.
Players could fight for the Romans or side with the Barbarians… (I think that’s what the game referred to the Scottish as) There were combat elements in Roma Victor, with players able to engage in gladiatorial battles, military campaigns, or other forms of PvP (Player versus Player) interaction. The game also included PvE (Player versus Environment) aspects like exploring ancient cities, trading goods, and completing quests that involved the Roman political and military systems.
Roma Victor ultimately closed in 2015 because of a combination of limited appeal, complex gameplay, and financial challenges. Despite its innovative approach to blending historical realism with MMO mechanics, it couldn’t find a large enough audience to support its continued development.
Gloria Victis (2023 – 2023)
Gloria Victis was another PVP Centric MMORPG, based around melee combat and low fantasy. Developed by the Polish studio Black Eye Games, the game was first released in early access in 2016 and later fully launched in 2023.
The game features a dynamic and player-driven world, with large-scale faction wars being one of its core components. Players can join one of the three factions vying for control over the game world.
Gloria Victis struggled with balancing issues, bugs, and the challenge of creating a compelling end-game experience for players. Additionally, some players found the grinding nature of certain activities to be tedious, while others felt the game’s slower pace wasn’t as engaging as faster-paced, more action-oriented MMOs.
They could never get the player numbers either which meant financially it wasn’t a viable product. With Black Eye Games eventually throwing in the towel and calling it a day. This is their final statement;
“But nothing can last forever, and after thinking it through for countless times, we have to make the toughest decision ever. Mostly due to financial reasons, as our game has always been a niche which we found extremely hard to expand without losing the game’s identity, and required more and more resources to progress and keep the pace, and due to continuous work without required rest for so long which eventually led to burnouts, we won’t be able to provide required maintenance on the game much longer. And, sadly, for that reason the new season will be the last in Gloria Victis. We want to invite all of you for the Final Season which will end with the servers closure on 31st October 2023.”
Family Guy Online (2012 – 2013)
The Family Guy MMO, officially called Family Guy Online, was a browser-based massively multiplayer online game based on the popular animated television series Family Guy. Developed by Aeria Games and released in 2012, the game allowed players to immerse themselves in the wacky world of Quahog, interacting with beloved characters and taking part in various adventures and mini-games.
Family Guy Online followed a free-to-play model, where players could enjoy basic gameplay for free but had the option to purchase virtual items and upgrades through microtransactions. These could include cosmetic items, character customization options, or in-game boosts.
While Family Guy Online was short-lived, it holds a place in the history of animated TV show MMOs. It was part of a brief wave of games based on TV properties, like The Simpsons: Tapped Out and South Park: The Stick of Truth, that tried to capitalize on the popularity of these shows in the gaming space.
The game is largely forgotten now, but it remains a piece of Family Guy’s larger cultural footprint. Some fans still remember it as a fun (but ultimately shallow) attempt to immerse themselves in the Family Guy universe.
Tabula Rasa (2007 – 2009)
At the time of Tabula Rasa’s release, NCSoft had a few other MMOs in the work, such as Aion, Wildstar and of course guild wars 2. NCSoft are notorious for having strict deadlines and targets and sadly Tabula Rasa didn’t make the cut.
There was also the fact that Richard Garriott sued NC soft over an unfair dismissal, which he won and got paid a boat load of money…I’m sure that left a bitter taste in NCSoft’s mouth.
There was an emulator soon after the closure, called Infinite Rasa, but as of right now, the official website for the private server seems to be down and I cant get it working…
The Crew (2014 – 2014)
The Crew is a open-world racing MMO developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft.
First released in 2014, the crew has grown quite the fan base over the past 10 years. However in 2024, Ubisoft delisted The Crew and its expansions from digital platforms and announced that the game’s servers would be shut down in March 2024, stating “upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints“.
The backlash was monumental… the movement “Stop Killing Games” was formed, which is advocating for the preservation of video games, aiming to prevent publishers from making games unplayable by shutting down online services and potentially rendering them unusable, even in single-player mode. You can read more here: https://www.stopkillinggames.com/
Not only that, but a class action lawsuit was raised against Ubisoft for the following reason:
“Ubisoft misled consumers by telling them they were buying a game, when in fact, all they were renting was a limited license to access a game,” the filing read.
Either way, The Crew is currently still unplayable with no offline mode being made for the title. However, the Crew 2 DOES have an offline mode…
Wild West Online (2018 – 2018)
Wild West Online was ultimately shut down in 2018, just over a year after its early access launch. The closure came due to the game’s inability to gain a lasting player base or generate enough revenue to sustain itself. Many players felt that the game was never properly finished, and the development team’s inability to address the game’s issues led to its early demise.
It also didn’t help that it released in the same year that Red Dead Redemption 2 was coming out… Was this done on purpose to cash in on players anticipation for a superior product…probably..
The Mummy Online (2012 – 2013)
The Mummy Online was a web based ARPG MMO based on the original Mummy film from 1998. I’m not sure why they drew inspiration from that movie so late on, but here we are.
The game itself was free to play with in game purchases possible. It had PVP and PVE elements, but don’t be surprised if you never heard of it, because it well and truly lacked a player-base. So much so that it closed within a year and most people will look at you oddly if you even mention this title.
Sociolotron (2005 – 2020)
I’ve already talked about Sociolotron on another article covering of the Internets more bizarre MMOs which you can read here: The MOST Disturbing MMOs Ever Created
However long story short, Niche MMO developer and published by one person… Said person has now passed away.. No one has access to the game anymore…
Even the web-domain Sociolotron is free to purchase right now.
Crowfall (2021 – 2022)
Crowfall joins the long list of failed MMOs, had a successful Kickstarter campaign with an initial goal of $800,000, they achieved this in less then 72 hours and went on to secured $1,766,204
Its currently the number 18 most funded Kickstarter video game…
So what went wrong?
Development started in 2015, with the Kickstarter being funded in the same year. By 2020 the game released a beta, and was then fully released in 2021. One whole year later the game was shutting down.
It suffered from multiple problems, including bad game mechanics, too many zergs, performance issues, lack of advertising and the list goes on.
It was bought out by Game developer Monumental, who have the title listed on their site, but have done nothing with it…
Lego Minifigures (2015 – 2016)
Did you know there is about 5 different LEGO MMOs and all 5 have been abandoned? I actually played Lego Universe the other month, thanks to the work of some dedicated fans and the use of private servers. However there will be no private servers for Lego Minifigures…
It was a LEGO ARPG MMO designed by well known developers Funcom, you know, the big Devs making the Dune Awakening MMO. I’m sure it wont suffer the same fate…
LEGO Minifigures, was shutdown due to the fact it didn’t make enough revenue, it seems kids are not the cash cows everyone says they are. Not in terms of making microtransactions and paying the Funcom staff wages.
It lasted a year before the plug was pulled, which seems kinda harsh when their main player base must have had an average age of 8…
“Mum can I play LEGO Minifigures?”
“No sorry hun, the plug was pulled because it didn’t meet Funcoms revenue projections, so now you have to go outside instead.”
The game was quite impressive and had a in depth class system and skill progression, with a variety of LEGO figures to choose from and decent game mechanics.
What it didnt have though was a dedicated playerbase that Lego Universe still has today, so there wont be a private server anytime soon.
Check out my full video here: