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Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks

Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks

The Irish Sun3 days ago
The 'closure' of the final entry on this list is especially tragic
LOGGED OFF Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks
GAMERS beware: a load of titles are shutting down in one way or another this year.
If you're the proud owner of an Xbox, PlayStation or gaming PC, you might be cut off some iconic games in 2025.
Advertisement
5
MMO sci-fi fantasy game Skyforge is being killed off
Credit: Skyforge
5
Wrestling fans are also set to lose out
Credit: WWE 2K24 / 2K
Here are five titles affected by closures this year.
GAME #1 – Skyforge
If you haven't heard of it, Skyforge is an massively multiplayer RPG set in a sci-fi fantasy world.
It launched back in 2015, but is finally going offline after 10 years.
"It is incredibly difficult for us to share the following news," the game creators said.
Advertisement
Read more on video games
WIN-TENDO! I played Nintendo Switch 2 BEFORE release and I'm obsessed with Mario Kart mode
"Unfortunately the Skyforge project is going to be closed, and its servers in Europe and America shut down."
Payments have already been disabled on the game, and it'll switch off for PC players on September 3.
That'll be followed by a console closure across Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
The console closure date is set later, on October 29.
Advertisement
GAME #2 – WWE 2K24
Wrestling fans are also facing a closure: this time it's WWE 2K24.
The wrestling title – published by 2K – came out on March 8, 2024.
Hit Rust game gets 'next-gen' upgrade revealed in new trailer
But the game's online servers are due to be closed down on September 30, 2025.
The core game will still be playable, so your money isn't entirely wasted.
Advertisement
But you'll lose access to online matches as well as the Community Creations feature.
GAME #3 – Madden NFL 22
Then there's another blow to sports fans who snapped up Madden NFL 22.
5
Madden is shutting down online services for a popular game
Credit: EA / Madden / PlayStation / Amazon
The American Football came was released on August 20, 2021, with Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady starring on the cover.
Advertisement
But on October 20, 2025, the game's online services will switch off.
That means you won't be able to access any of the online multiplayer modes.
GAME #4 – Rust: Console Edition
Multiplayer survival game Rust is also getting killed off – at least on certain consoles.
WHY DO GAMES SHUT DOWN?
By The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach...
It's simple: money.
When a game is entirely online – or has online features – then there's a cost associated with that.
The game developer is having to pay to run servers so you can play.
And they'll need developers working on fixing bugs, staff catching cheaters, customer support staff, and more.
Over time, as player counts dwindle, it becomes less economically viable to offer these services.
That's especially true for sports games where newer versions come out – drawing away players from the older titles.
In those cases, it's usually just the online service that is pulled.
But some games – like MMORPGs – are entirely online. There's no offline mode to fall back on.
In those cases, the games are often shut down entirely.
In some cases, players will set up their own private version of the game to let it live on.
But dwindling players for an MMO is a bad sign – and usually means the game isn't far from its own doomsday.
Other times, a game closes due to an overall studio shutdown.
But generally, it's because the cost of supporting the game is too high versus the money coming in from players.
Picture Credit: Sean Keach
Rust first launched in 'early access' back in 2013 before an official release in 2018.
Advertisement
But the "old-gen" version of Rust is being binned – that's the one made for PS4 and Xbox One.
The game became unavailable to download as of May 29, 2025.
And it'll eventually become totally unplayable in October.
5
Epic survival game Rust is being sunsetted on older consoles
Credit: Rust / Double11
Advertisement
If you want to keep playing, you'll need to upgrade to the next-gen version – built for the newer Xbox Series X/S and PS5 consoles.
That upgrade will be available for free, but it's only out on the new consoles – not the old ones.
GAME #5 – Fifa 23
It's not just American Football getting a closure – regular footie is also facing a chop.
Fifa 23 will have its online servers shut down on December 12, 2025.
Advertisement
5
Fifa 23 will soon lose access to online services
Credit: Fifa / EA
That'll affect players on PS4 and PS5, all Xbox models, PC, and the Nintendo Switch.
It means the game's online features will be switched off, blocking all multiplayer.
This was notably the last EA Fifa game, before the publisher switched to EA Sports FC – so it's an extra tragedy.
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Tiger Woods tipped to make investment in English club after watching Tom Brady's Birmingham transformation
Tiger Woods tipped to make investment in English club after watching Tom Brady's Birmingham transformation

The Irish Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Tiger Woods tipped to make investment in English club after watching Tom Brady's Birmingham transformation

CROSS OVER Tiger Woods tipped to make investment in English club after watching Tom Brady's Birmingham transformation GOLF legend Tiger Woods has been tipped to cross over to football and follow in other celebrities' footsteps by taking over a club. NFL great Tom Brady has enjoyed success with Birmingham ever since investing as minority owner in 2023 with the club currently in the Championship and considered likely to return to the Premier League. 2 Tiger Woods has been tipped to take over a football club in England Credit: Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images 2 Ex-Premier League ace Matt Jansen urged Woods to follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady Credit:Wrexham have also experienced a tremendous rise ever since Hollywood celebrity pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were announced as co-owners in 2020. Reynolds and McElhenney led the Red Dragons from the National League all the way up to the Championship where they face Brady's Birmingham. Blackburn legend Matt Jansen believes there will be more famous people following that trend. Jansen, 47, suggested Woods and NBA legend Michael Jordan could soon be next. The former striker would especially like the PGA great to try his luck in football and strongly advised him to consider Manchester United or his beloved Blackburn amid their ongoing ownership dramas. Jansen told 'I think Tom Brady is a good one. Maybe Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, people who've been at the top of their sport. "The number one in their sport will always be impressive, and can relate a little bit more to football than the music industry. 'It could be any club for, couldn't it? But the likes of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods would probably be looking at Liverpool, Chelsea or Man Utd, those kinds of clubs. "They're that big a star. So is Tom Brady, but Birmingham are really putting their money where their mouth is. I think they'll be a force next season. 'They could target clubs in the EFL. Look at what Wrexham started and they've been a success. Charlie Woods bounces back from horror show in front of legendary dad Tiger with stunning round "It'll be other people putting it to the likes of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, rather than them approaching clubs. 'They'll see whether it's worthwhile investing their time. It's certainly worked for the two at Wrexham, and it's worked for Tom Brady at the moment. How far it'll go, who knows? 'I could see them buying Manchester United. The fans are unhappy with [Sir Jim] Ratcliffe at the minute, and there are protests. "You couldn't put it past somebody like that coming in, and his aura could bring success. 'They'd certainly welcome them at Blackburn. They're in a bit of a mess with the Venky's at the moment. "It's a sorry place compared to the great days from Jack Walker's era when I was playing. It's fallen quite far, and they'd definitely welcome some positive publicity. 'I'm a big Tiger Woods fan, so for me a documentary of him at Blackburn or Manchester United would beat any before it. "Woods is a global superstar and it would certainly be one series I'd be looking forward to. It would be incredible if it happened.'

Hollywood horror specialist has eyes on Dublin as Irish developer Gambrinous readies new game based in infamous Hellfire Club
Hollywood horror specialist has eyes on Dublin as Irish developer Gambrinous readies new game based in infamous Hellfire Club

Irish Independent

timea day ago

  • Irish Independent

Hollywood horror specialist has eyes on Dublin as Irish developer Gambrinous readies new game based in infamous Hellfire Club

It's no use just having a smart design, you'd better also spin a compelling story around it or cook up an association with a celebrity – failing that, how about a deal with a major Hollywood production company? Dublin-based indie studio Gambrinous has by accident or design come up with a combination of all the above for its upcoming release, Eyes of Hellfire, out later this month on PC in Early Access. Despite two successful titles under its belt since Colm Larkin and his pal Fred Mangan set up Gambrinous in 2014, the studio struggled to get its next game off the ground. A couple of years working on one project came to naught before they hit on a devilishly clever concept with a haunting art style inspired by 19th-century painter Goya. With a back catalogue of lighthearted fare, Gambrinous turned to a darker idea dreamed up by art director Mangan and studio writer Len Cunningham, who are both huge fans of horror. Originally called just Hellfire Club – after the infamous Dublin Mountains hunting lodge overlooking the city – the game would be a new departure for the small team, which at that time in 2023 was just five people. 'Their pitch was exploring a supernatural space based on the actual old ruins just outside Dublin, where real life people come together and are dragged into something supernatural,' explains studio head Larkin during an interview alongside Mangan at the Irish Independent offices last week. 'Eyes of Hellfire is a co-op Gothic horror experience for you and your friends where not all is as it seems, especially your friendships. So what happens there is you're playing together, it's kind of like, Escape the Haunted House or an escape room. 'But we're causing a little friction between the players, so we seed each person with a curse, and that is kind of like a private agenda that you have to solve. You play a session together with, say, four or five people for a couple of hours. And in that time frame, you're really trying to do stuff together, but you privately are trying to sort of get away with something or solve something without people knowing.' If it sounds a little like breakout hit game Among Hit or TV's The Traitors, you're not wrong. But both those of can also trace at least some of their DNA to older social deduction card games such as Werewolf. Having worked up a prototype – Gambrinous used a mixture of old-school paper-based models and software versions in Tabletop Simulator – they began shopping the idea around to publishers. The results weren't exactly pretty. Larkin reckons they made more than 100 pitches and got rejection letters to most of them. But perhaps the longest shot eventually paid off handsomely. For 25 years, LA-based Blumhouse Productions has followed the Roger Corman blueprint of low-budget but creative horror flicks, including Five Nights at Freddy's and The Purge. But in 2023 they decided to get into games, albeit in a low-profile way. 'They'd gone out and said, we're Blumhouse Games and we're publishing horror games,' says Larkin. 'But they hadn't announced a single game. So they were scouting, signing games quietly and they weren't actually that easy to reach. In the end, I got through to them through a fairly senior connection I had made over the years in the industry. 'We'd already spent quite a few months trying to pitch many publishers on Eyes of Hellfire. And I think part of the problems we had with it was a bit too many elements to understand. It was like fusing tabletop or board games with horror, with live action, with suspicion-based co-op. Publishers want hits, but they're often a bit worried about novelty' Mangan jumps in to elaborate: 'The standard publisher might look and say we want a horror game rather than we want a slate of horror games. So the fact that it's a horror game with the board game stuff and the co-op stuff – I guess it's a riskier decision for them. Whereas Blumhouse, with horror as a genre locked in, they're looking for interesting things within that umbrella.' Larkin agrees that's the reason they went with Blumhouse in the end: 'It was straight up a good match where it was an ill-fit elsewhere. We always try and make games that are novel in some way, maybe sometimes too many ways. But we're always looking for something that we think there is a market for.' Sadly for Gambrinous, negotiating the publishing deal didn't involve flying out to LA and being wined and dined – the whole thing was handled remotely. The funding from Blumhouse secured in early 2024 was substantial – Larkin politely declines to put a figure on it – but it meant the studio could then knuckle down and put Eyes of Hellfire into full production by expanding the staffing to nine people. The set-up of the story is that the players arrive separately to the haunted lodge only to discover they are trapped and must work together to explore and escape. Players can roam freely around the rooms but there are elements of turn-based strategy to perform tasks governed by a stock of action points. As the team explored the framing of the narrative, they realised they'd need a character besides the players and the supernatural enemies to ratchet up the tension. Initially, the Host featured only in the introduction but then they cast a little-known actor named Liam Cunningham and the results were just too good to limit him to the start. Cunningham, as you might guess, is related to studio writer Len but is, of course better known as Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones, among many other fine roles. Family connections aside, he's also a massive games fan and had previously contributed to Gambrinous's previous release, Cardpocalypse. The Host as voiced by Cunningham is a ghostly, enigmatic character whose motives are completely suspect. 'You're never fighting him,' says Larkin. 'He's never a villain. He's never an antagonist. He's always there messing with you. A presence is a really good way of thinking of him.' It's not just the full Irish voice cast that gives Eyes of Hellfire its flavour, Mangan's art and Gary Keane's subtle soundtrack contribute to the air of dread pervading the lodge. Mangan did a lot of research into Gothic romance stories of the 18th century: 'We pulled in a lot of Mary Shelley, Byron and Bram Stoker, who's a local boy. Even Oscar Wilde – there's a few kind of Dorian Gray moments in the game. 'With that in mind, we've looked at a similar period for the art style. So probably the biggest influence for me is Francisco Goya, the romance painter. He did it a series called The Black Paintings, where he was in the depth of illness at the time. It was particularly horrific stuff – very low light and with intense blacks. A classic horror thing. 'The story itself is based on five modern-day characters who are in some way linked to their descendants in the house itself. And they're suffering illness, and that's the basis of the curse that's kind of driven them to meet as strangers in the house, which lends itself quite nicely to the suspicion co-op. 'You don't really know each other. You've ended up in the house and they're dragged back then in the opening of the game to the period piece in the house.' Players won't have to wait much longer to get their hands on Eyes of Hellfire but Gambrinous has also chosen to launch into Early Access at a lower price rather than with a fully complete release. That enables the studio to continue to develop the game with player feedback – potentially for up to a year before the final polished product ships. Larkin says Early Access has become a common way for studios to get their games finished – it brings in money, lets fans contribute their ideas and builds a community of players who evangelise to others. 'It's become a player invitation to join in co-development of the game. So you say, yes, this is a fun experience, you can do all this. 'We're saying, come and join us now. You do buy the game, but you're buying into more development. You're going to get the full finished game for free, essentially, or with your purchase over time. 'That's what the early access idea is. It's been very successful for some games and for some communities that build up around a game early on. Because you can jump in on day one of an Early Access game, play an incomplete version of the game, but still good, like the bar is really high. It's still a very polished and playable experience.' The Early Access version goes live on Steam August 27 for €9 for a limited time. Cleverly, Gambrinous has ensured that every copy sold can host a game for up to four other players, who won't pay a cent – easing the process of persuading pals to give Eyes of Hellfire a go. 'I think that's going to really help us on launch where we have some champions who are really into it and they'll convince their friends and that big barrier is now gone,' says Larkin.

Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks
Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks

The Irish Sun

time3 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks

The 'closure' of the final entry on this list is especially tragic LOGGED OFF Full list of games CLOSING in 2025 with hundreds of millions of players locked out on Xbox, PlayStation & PCs in weeks GAMERS beware: a load of titles are shutting down in one way or another this year. If you're the proud owner of an Xbox, PlayStation or gaming PC, you might be cut off some iconic games in 2025. Advertisement 5 MMO sci-fi fantasy game Skyforge is being killed off Credit: Skyforge 5 Wrestling fans are also set to lose out Credit: WWE 2K24 / 2K Here are five titles affected by closures this year. GAME #1 – Skyforge If you haven't heard of it, Skyforge is an massively multiplayer RPG set in a sci-fi fantasy world. It launched back in 2015, but is finally going offline after 10 years. "It is incredibly difficult for us to share the following news," the game creators said. Advertisement Read more on video games WIN-TENDO! I played Nintendo Switch 2 BEFORE release and I'm obsessed with Mario Kart mode "Unfortunately the Skyforge project is going to be closed, and its servers in Europe and America shut down." Payments have already been disabled on the game, and it'll switch off for PC players on September 3. That'll be followed by a console closure across Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. The console closure date is set later, on October 29. Advertisement GAME #2 – WWE 2K24 Wrestling fans are also facing a closure: this time it's WWE 2K24. The wrestling title – published by 2K – came out on March 8, 2024. Hit Rust game gets 'next-gen' upgrade revealed in new trailer But the game's online servers are due to be closed down on September 30, 2025. The core game will still be playable, so your money isn't entirely wasted. Advertisement But you'll lose access to online matches as well as the Community Creations feature. GAME #3 – Madden NFL 22 Then there's another blow to sports fans who snapped up Madden NFL 22. 5 Madden is shutting down online services for a popular game Credit: EA / Madden / PlayStation / Amazon The American Football came was released on August 20, 2021, with Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady starring on the cover. Advertisement But on October 20, 2025, the game's online services will switch off. That means you won't be able to access any of the online multiplayer modes. GAME #4 – Rust: Console Edition Multiplayer survival game Rust is also getting killed off – at least on certain consoles. WHY DO GAMES SHUT DOWN? By The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach... It's simple: money. When a game is entirely online – or has online features – then there's a cost associated with that. The game developer is having to pay to run servers so you can play. And they'll need developers working on fixing bugs, staff catching cheaters, customer support staff, and more. Over time, as player counts dwindle, it becomes less economically viable to offer these services. That's especially true for sports games where newer versions come out – drawing away players from the older titles. In those cases, it's usually just the online service that is pulled. But some games – like MMORPGs – are entirely online. There's no offline mode to fall back on. In those cases, the games are often shut down entirely. In some cases, players will set up their own private version of the game to let it live on. But dwindling players for an MMO is a bad sign – and usually means the game isn't far from its own doomsday. Other times, a game closes due to an overall studio shutdown. But generally, it's because the cost of supporting the game is too high versus the money coming in from players. Picture Credit: Sean Keach Rust first launched in 'early access' back in 2013 before an official release in 2018. Advertisement But the "old-gen" version of Rust is being binned – that's the one made for PS4 and Xbox One. The game became unavailable to download as of May 29, 2025. And it'll eventually become totally unplayable in October. 5 Epic survival game Rust is being sunsetted on older consoles Credit: Rust / Double11 Advertisement If you want to keep playing, you'll need to upgrade to the next-gen version – built for the newer Xbox Series X/S and PS5 consoles. That upgrade will be available for free, but it's only out on the new consoles – not the old ones. GAME #5 – Fifa 23 It's not just American Football getting a closure – regular footie is also facing a chop. Fifa 23 will have its online servers shut down on December 12, 2025. Advertisement 5 Fifa 23 will soon lose access to online services Credit: Fifa / EA That'll affect players on PS4 and PS5, all Xbox models, PC, and the Nintendo Switch. It means the game's online features will be switched off, blocking all multiplayer. This was notably the last EA Fifa game, before the publisher switched to EA Sports FC – so it's an extra tragedy.

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