EA has decided to pull the plug on Need for Speed Rivals online features come October 7. The racing game launched back in 2013 and millions of players have been racing against each other online for over a decade. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players will lose all online modes when the servers shut down. Current generation console owners on PS5 and Xbox Series will also get cut off from online racing. Players can still enjoy the game offline but the real fun happens when racing against other people.
The shutdown adds fuel to a growing fire about game companies taking away products that people already bought. A campaign called Stop Killing Games has collected more than one million signatures from angry gamers worldwide. The group wants laws that stop publishers from making games unplayable after they sell them to customers. Big video game companies claim that keeping old servers running costs way too much money.
Minecraft creator Notch jumped into the debate with a sharp comment about game ownership. He pointed out that if buying a game does not really mean owning it then pirating games cannot be stealing. Publishers argue that customers only buy licenses to play games rather than actually owning the software. The controversy highlights how digital games can disappear forever when companies decide to shut down their servers.
The shutdown adds fuel to a growing fire about game companies taking away products that people already bought. A campaign called Stop Killing Games has collected more than one million signatures from angry gamers worldwide. The group wants laws that stop publishers from making games unplayable after they sell them to customers. Big video game companies claim that keeping old servers running costs way too much money.
Minecraft creator Notch jumped into the debate with a sharp comment about game ownership. He pointed out that if buying a game does not really mean owning it then pirating games cannot be stealing. Publishers argue that customers only buy licenses to play games rather than actually owning the software. The controversy highlights how digital games can disappear forever when companies decide to shut down their servers.
