A Massive BioWare Logo Approaches! Star Wars: Galaxies Shutting Down

With Star Wars: The Old Republic maybe, possibly coming sometime later this year or earlier next year (or not?), it's not much of a surprise that LucasArts would consider winding down its last attempt at a massively multiplayer Star Wars. As of December 15, Star Wars: Galaxies will no longer exist.

"The shutdown of SWG is a very difficult decision, but SOE and LucasArts have mutually agreed that the end of 2011 is the appropriate time to end the game," said the companies in a statement.

Galaxies won't just flicker into the dark, though, with the promise of a "galaxy-ending in-game event" bringing about the conclusion of the adventure. I should start power leveling immediately.

I'm imagining a giant BioWare logo that, when touched, activates an in-game browser to pre-order The Old Republic. All (some) joking aside, apparently people are still playing Galaxies.

"We are extremely grateful to all of the SWG fans," continued the statement. "We have had the rare opportunity to host one of the most dedicated and passionate online gaming communities and we truly appreciate the support we’ve received from each and every one of you over the course of the past eight years."

Galaxies never managed to achieve its potential, with the game getting several makeovers in an attempt to make the game more palatable to the audience. Unfortunately, it just never clicked.

I thought it was already down.

not like this

ooh bye bye galaxies

@Laketown said:

not like this

My first thought, exactly...

Its about damn time.

cant wait

GB should do a piece on the galaxy-ending in-game event ^^

As much as I use to love SWG before the destroyed it with their retardation, I am glad to see it finally rest. What it turned into is an insult to what is what before, a niche MMO that catered ultimately to the social and adventurous.

/salute to the old SWG, not the new POS.

Finally. I played for a year til NGE came, and I actually liked it quite a lot. It was my first MMO, and I had so many good times with it. Hunting, meeting new people and building towns was pretty damn great.

Then WoW came and was like 300000 times better, but I still missed the scale and freedom of SWG. It's sad to see it die like this though, they should've killed it off a few years ago.

SOE runs another one into the ground.

Who wants to bet TOR will suffer the same fate by 2014-15 or go free to play? 
 
At least that's the impression I get from the game so far, looks shitty.

The first iteration of Star Wars Galaxies was the best one, with a set of incredibly deep combat and crafting systems. It went through some needless "updating" though, but it was great the way it was before. It wasn't World of Warcraft, but no game back then was.

"I have a bad feeling about this" or "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened," should be the new "not like this."

Can we get a Giant Bomb look at the end, just like with the Matrix Online?

Star Wars Galaxies shut down many many years ago. What's left of it is not something worthy of the Galaxies name

Oh hey! That's me killing that effin' Rancor! Well, SWG had it's time. "Its time" just happened to be 6 years ago and it's been living the past half decade now as a hollow shell of its former self. BUT WHATEVS - here's to TOR doing what SWG failed to do.

Incoming torrent of ToR hating without any facts or previous experiences... -sigh-

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened....

SWG has its share of issues, but at least it's set in the part of Star Wars that was actually good. You tell me you've made an MMO based on the prequel trilogy and you've already failed in my eyes.

I think it would be nice if an MMO would have a happy ending, rather than a galaxy-ending disaster. They all seem to go for that when they shut down. Everyone dies. Game over. Why not something more upbeat?

I hope GiantBomb give Galaxies the same treatment they gave Matrix Online when it shut down.

Paging Pasquale.....

"galaxy-ending in-game event" 
 
death star will destroy planets one by one, ending with Tatooine on the final day.

Are we going to get an Endurance Run like you guys did with Matrix Online?

It's been a long road...

Already looking forward to the live stream of this.

SWG has its share of issues, but at least it's set in the part of Star Wars that was actually good. You tell me you've made an MMO based on the prequel trilogy and you've already failed in my eyes.

I really hope we get some GB coverage of the "galaxy-ending event", all Matrix Online-style.

There has to be a ST:G series on GB like with The Matrix Online.

SWG has its share of issues, but at least it's set in the part of Star Wars that was actually good. You tell me you've made an MMO based on the prequel trilogy and you've already failed in my eyes.

Not like this.

Giantbomb promised a Galaxies video ages ago. You must deliver!

If you look on the front page, it's already listed on 12/16 as "coming soon" lol.

Wake Up.

Don't like seeing mmo's straight up die, they could have tried going the free2play route, i'm sure there's alot of star wars folks who wouldn't mind playing that game for free.

I wonder if everyone will turn into cubes at the end of this event?

There has to be a series covering this like Not Like This. THERE HAS TO BE.

Good riddance!

Amanda Matricks, where are you when we need you?

So what am I supposed to do with my copy of Hyperspace I never opened???

People are playing Star Wars: Galaxies? No, they're not. Don't lie to me.

Will this get the same treatment as Matrix Online? Please, please, please make it happen.

Edit: Hahaha, Up Coming section already updated.

This actually makes me sad, even if i never played the game, it's sad to see one of the titans finally fall.

I seem to remeber some talk about Matrix Online style coverage when this happened on the Bombcast a while back. Time to deliver! ...round December.

On another note I remember being excited for this game when they where hyping it pre-release. "To live in the Star Wars galaxy? Sign me up!" Don't remember when I lost interest.

@autobzooty said:

SWG has its share of issues, but at least it's set in the part of Star Wars that was actually good. You tell me you've made an MMO based on the prequel trilogy and you've already failed in my eyes.

Old Republic isn't in the prequel trilogy either…

Play SWGEMU people! 
 
http://www.swgemu.com/forums/index.php 
 
Much better than the NGE PoS

SWG has its share of issues, but at least it's set in the part of Star Wars that was actually good. You tell me you've made an MMO based on the prequel trilogy and you've already failed in my eyes.

I hope GB has time to do a end of the world event like the matrix online videos they did.  That will be great.  I might have to renew my subscription and see what all goes down.

I have fond memories with this game back in the day. They killed it a long time ago, but it still makes me sad to see something I used to care for die.

Will we see a mini-series about this?