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GameSpy server shutdown: Difference between revisions

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{{Distinguish|[[GameSpy]]}}
{{Distinguish|[[GameSpy]]}}


On May 31st, 2014, all multiplayer services hosted by ''[[GameSpy]]'' were shut down by [[Glu Mobile|''Glu Mobile'']].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Futter |first=Mike |date=Apr 3, 2014 |title=Glu Shutting Down Gamespy Service, Affecting A Reported 800 Developers And Publishers |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072627/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |archive-date=Apr 7, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=Game Informer}}</ref> A documented library of over 800 video games on platforms such as PC, [[Xbox]] 360, [[PlayStation]] 3, [[Wii]], and far more were affected by this massive shutdown.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/Stevoisiak |date=Apr 7, 2014 |title=List of games affected by GameSpy shutdown |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameSpy |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=PC Gaming Wiki}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameSpy Titles Archive |url=https://www.poweredbygamespy.com/projects/2010-titles/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629233447/https://www.poweredbygamespy.com/projects/2010-titles/ |archive-date=Jun 29, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref> Some games, such as the Arma series,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Burns |first=Chris |date=Apr 4, 2014 |title=GAMESPY SHUTS DOWN MAY 31: WILL YOUR GAME BE AFFECTED? |url=https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717091309/http://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |archive-date=Jul 17, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=Slashgear}}</ref> were retooled to function without needing to rely upon [[GameSpy]] services by the developer, however a majority of these games require 3rd-party tools to regain functionality,<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameSpy |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=PC Gaming Wiki}}</ref> such as ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]] 2142'', which relies upon ''OpenSpy'' and the ''BF2142 Reclamation'' community.<!-- Reminder to harass the community to turn their story posted in their discord into an article! -->A subset of affected games had their DRM affected by this shutdown as well.{{Citation needed|reason=Read comment}}<!-- This was hearsay I remember discussing in the BF2142 discord, where people mentioned that some DRM was reliant on GameSpy servers to function. I think it is related to GameSpy Comrade, but I need more documentation.
On 31 May 2014, all multiplayer services hosted by ''[[GameSpy]]'' were shut down by [[Glu Mobile]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |first=Mike |last=Futter |title=Glu Shutting Down Gamespy Service, Affecting A Reported 800 Developers And Publishers |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |website=Game Informer |date=3 Apr 2014 |access-date=14 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072627/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |archive-date=7 Apr 2014}}</ref> A documented library of over 800 video games on platforms such as PC, [[Xbox]] 360, [[PlayStation]] 3, [[Wii]], and far more were affected by this massive shutdown.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Stevoisiak |title=List of games affected by GameSpy shutdown |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=7 Apr 2014 |access-date=14 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410153634/https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |archive-date=10 Apr 2014}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=GameSpy |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |website=PCGamingWiki |access-date=14 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421173510/https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |archive-date=21 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 <nowiki>|</nowiki> GameSpy Technology |url=https://www.poweredbygamespy.com/projects/2010-titles/ |website=[[GameSpy]] |date=2014 |access-date=29 Jun 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629233447/http://www.poweredbygamespy.com/projects/2010-titles/ |archive-date=29 Jun 2014}}</ref> Some games, such as the Arma series,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |first=Chris |last=Burns |title=GAMESPY SHUTS DOWN MAY 31: WILL YOUR GAME BE AFFECTED? |url=https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |website=Slashgear |date=4 Apr 2014 |access-date=14 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406135603/https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |archive-date=6 Apr 2014}}</ref> were retooled to function without needing to rely upon [[GameSpy]] services by the developer, however a majority of these games require third-party tools to regain functionality,<ref name=":1" /> such as ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]] 2142'', which relies upon ''OpenSpy'' and the ''BF2142 Reclamation'' community.<!-- Reminder to harass the community to turn their story posted in their discord into an article! --> A subset of affected games had their [[Digital rights management|DRM]] affected by this shutdown as well.{{Citation needed|reason=Read comment}}<!-- This was hearsay I remember discussing in the BF2142 discord, where people mentioned that some DRM was reliant on GameSpy servers to function. I think it is related to GameSpy Comrade, but I need more documentation. - JamesTDG -->
- JamesTDG -->


==Background==
==Background==
In 2012, the mobile game developer ''[[Glu Mobile]]'' purchased ''[[GameSpy]]''<nowiki/>'s multiplayer service department ''[[GameSpy]] Industries''.
In 2012, the mobile game developer Glu Mobile purchased [[GameSpy]]<nowiki/>'s multiplayer service department GameSpy Industries.


==The Shutdown==
==The shutdown==
Shortly after ''[[Glu Mobile]]'' purchased ''[[GameSpy]] Industries'' from ''[[IGN]]'' in August 2012,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Potter |first=Seth |date=Aug 2, 2012 |title=Glu Acquires GameSpy Technology to Expand Connected, Cross-platform Mobile Leadership |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-date=Apr 11, 2016 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[Glu Mobile]]}}</ref> the company concluded services for many older games reliant on [[GameSpy]] services, such as ''Fairytale Fights'', ''Star Wars: Battlefront'', ''Sniper Elite'', ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X'', ''Saints Row 2'', and ''Neverwinter Nights''. This was done without prior notice to neither the developers of these games nor the users who paid for these games.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parrish |first=Kevin |date=Dec 11, 2012 |title=Glu Shutting Down Multiplayer for GameSpy-based PC Titles |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/Glu-Mobile-GameSpy-Multiplayer-PC-Gaming-Rebellion,19684.html |url-status=live |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=Tom's Hardware}}</ref>
Shortly after Glu Mobile purchased GameSpy Industries from IGN in August 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Seth |last=Potter |title=Glu Acquires GameSpy Technology to Expand Connected, Cross-platform Mobile Leadership |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |website=[[Glu Mobile]] |date=2 Aug 2012 |access-date=18 Jan 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721180216/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-date=21 Jul 2014
}}</ref> the company concluded services for many older games reliant on GameSpy services, such as ''Fairytale Fights'', ''Star Wars: Battlefront'', ''Sniper Elite'', ''Microsoft Flight Simulator X'', ''Saints Row 2'', and ''Neverwinter Nights''. This was done without prior notice to neither the developers of these games nor the users who paid for these games.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kevin |last=Parrish |title=Glu Shutting Down Multiplayer for GameSpy-based PC Titles |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/Glu-Mobile-GameSpy-Multiplayer-PC-Gaming-Rebellion,19684.html |website=Tom's Hardware |date=11 Dec 2012 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214062736/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/Glu-Mobile-GameSpy-Multiplayer-PC-Gaming-Rebellion,19684.html |archive-date=14 Dec 2012}}</ref>


On April 2014, ''[[Glu Mobile]]'' announced that on May 31st of the same year, the remainder of all ''[[GameSpy]]'' services would be shut down.<ref name=":0" /> All games on the ''[[Wii]]'' and ''[[Nintendo DS]]'' that relied upon the ''[[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]]'' platform lost all multiplayer functionality, as ''[[Nintendo]]'' tied the functionality of this platform on services offered by ''[[GameSpy]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Katie |date=Feb 26, 2014 |title=Nintendo Terminating Wi-fi Service For DS and Wii |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/27/nintendo-terminating-wi-fi-service-for-ds-and-wii |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[IGN]]}}</ref>
In April 2014, [[Glu Mobile]] announced that on May 31st of the same year, the remainder of all GameSpy services would be shut down.<ref name=":0" /> All games on the [[Wii]] and [[Nintendo DS]] that relied upon the [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]] platform lost all multiplayer functionality, as [[Nintendo]] tied the functionality of this platform on services offered by [[GameSpy]].<ref>{{Cite web |first=Katie |last=Williams |title=Nintendo Terminating Wi-fi Service For DS and Wii |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/27/nintendo-terminating-wi-fi-service-for-ds-and-wii |website=IGN |date=26 Feb 2014 |access-date=14 Jul 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302022652/https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/27/nintendo-terminating-wi-fi-service-for-ds-and-wii |archive-date=2 Mar 2014}}</ref>


==Consumer response==
==Consumer response==
There was outrage from consumers over the discontinuation of GameSpy's services,{{Citation needed|reason=Read comment}}<!-- However, the threads covering this incident have been long-since lost, we need people to recover this important info. --> some communities responded by slowly working to reverse-engineer the servers into new tools such as OpenSpy. One of the initial attempts to restore GameSpy functionality faced a shutdown notice from [[Electronic Arts]] regarding the [[EA shuts down fan servers for old Battlefield games|restoration of multiplayer in older Battlefield games]]. <!-- From Wikipedia:
By contrast, in 2017, Electronic Arts demanded the takedown of modified versions of Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 on alternate servers, distributed by a group known as "Revive Network", as infringement of their copyrights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpy -->


There was outrage from consumers over the discontinuation of GameSpy's services,{{Citation needed|reason=Read comment}}<!-- However, the threads covering this incident have been long-since lost, we need people to recover this important info. -->some communities responded by slowly working to reverse-engineer the servers into new tools such as OpenSpy. One of the initial attempts to restore [[GameSpy]] functionality faced a shutdown notice from [[Electronic Arts]] regarding the [[EA shuts down fan servers for old Battlefield games|restoration of multiplayer in older Battlefield games]]. <!-- From Wikipedia:
==References==
By contrast, in 2017, Electronic Arts demanded the takedown of modified versions of Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 on alternate servers, distributed by a group known as "Revive Network", as infringement of their copyrights.
{{Reflist}}


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpy -->
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:GameSpy]]
[[Category:GameSpy]]
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