It is always disheartening to see a beloved game closing down. As we still play Lineage II (not Lineage), I contemplate when
our heavy hammer will fall and we get such a message.
For all the MMOrpg gamers out there that fear their days may be numbered, the time has been announced for the Lineage NAS (North American Servers). This was an email we all should have received for those that are a member of "
http://www.mmorpg.com" newsletters group. Not the best news I have received all week, that's for sure. We all know these things are bound to happen but here at DragonShadow it is always a sad day when a game is no longer supported. So for all those Lineage players out there we feel your pain.
Originally Posted by
http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm/game/19
Lineage : North American Servers Closing in June
Posted May 11, 2011 by Suzie Ford
According to a new post from NCSoft on the Lineage site, the North American game servers will be closing permanently on June 29, 2011. NCSoft indicates that the 'franchise is no longer profitable', hence the server closure.
As of today, no new accounts can be created. We will no longer charge anyone whose account is set to recurring billing, and Time Cards can no longer be used to add additional game time. We have reactivated all existing accounts in good standing, and everyone can play for free* for the remaining time that the servers are open.
We are committed to refunding any unused game time that might have already been applied to your account. If you are due a refund, refunds will be made automatically back to the method of payment that was originally used in most cases. Please see our refund policy for details.
Nyx, Jetzen, and Unicycle plan to go out with a bang. We will not be making any additional content updates, but we do have US Ruleset changes and lots of great events planned for the next two months. We want to give you every opportunity to make all of your remaining Lineage dreams come true. We hope that everyone will stick around to have fun with the game you love in the time we have left.
On further investigation on the official Lineage site I found this news to back it up.
Originally Posted by
http://www.lineage.com/news/na_servers_closing_629.html
NA servers closing 6/29
May 11, 2011 -
After much deliberation, NCsoft has made the difficult decision to shut down Lineage servers in its Western markets. Unfortunately, after more than 10 years, the original Lineage franchise is no longer financially viable in the West. On a global basis, this was strategic choice to concentrate on service of Lineage in South Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan. On June 29, 2011, at the normal maintenance time, all the original Lineage NA servers maintained by NCsoft will shut down permanently.
As of today, no new accounts can be created. We will no longer charge anyone whose account is set to recurring billing, and Time Cards can no longer be used to add additional game time. We have reactivated all existing accounts in good standing, and everyone can play for free* for the remaining time that the servers are open.
We are committed to refunding any unused game time that might have already been applied to your account. If you are due a refund, refunds will be made automatically back to the method of payment that was originally used in most cases. Please see our refund policy for details.
Nyx, Jetzen, and Unicycle plan to go out with a bang. We will not be making any additional content updates, but we do have US Ruleset changes and lots of great events planned for the next two months. We want to give you every opportunity to make all of your remaining Lineage dreams come true. We hope that everyone will stick around to have fun with the game you love in the time we have left.
We know that we have incredibly loyal fans that have stood by us for the past ten years. As painful as it was, as a business, we had to make a very difficult, but necessary, decision. We thank you for your continued support. We want you to know that we will be offering you a chance to try other NCsoft games for free to express our gratitude for your years of loyalty to Lineage. Please click here for more details on Player Appreciation Rewards.
With great respect to you, our players,
The Lineage Team
The Lineage II Days may be numbered and this is a scary thing as I have very fond memories of this game. I will have to get Duggy to remind me to get my a$$ in gear and revise and add to the DragonShadow Story (our history): How we were formed back in the beta days of L2 (Lineage II) and how we became who we are today, all the good friends we met, and how Duggy and I became husband and wife all thanx to L2 - BEFORE it is too late and we get an email like this.
Lineage II, for many of us, is not only a game where we can play altered egos and immerse ourselves in a medieval-like fantasy world, it is for some a social network that brought us in touch with like-minded gamers from all around the world. This helped even the playing field for players from of all walks of life who normally would never have a hope in hell of meeting friends who share the same interest, passion, and enthusiasm for a game. Take me, for example, it gave me the opportunity to have discussions with others (people whom I am now proud to call friend) about their beliefs and cultures. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. As Lineage approaches its final days, I can't help but wonder when will it be our turn in Lineage 2. Steps to reduce the North American servers' costs for L2 have already been taken, so it's only a matter of time.
Either way, it is always sad to see a game such as this go by the wayside, taking a favored past-time away from hundreds, if not thousands, of people. It forces them to to either upgrade to the newest and greatest or stop playing altogether (which isn't always a bad thing, but if not all your friends are able to upgrade, it can be upsetting to lose contact with them).
To all the Lineage players out there: be strong, fight hard, and play even harder. New games will and have become available.
As for DragonShadow, if/whenever that heavy hammer falls on whatever game we play, although it might be sad, we are not going anywhere. Dragons are forever! We
will outlast any game out there.
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