Shut down games people paid for
Turned off servers or stores so that games people bought stopped working, lost features they paid for, or can't be downloaded again.
When servers close, what people paid for can stop working: the more a game depends on its maker, the more this matters.
What it means
Many games rely on the company's servers: for online play, for the shop, or just to start. When those servers close, a game people paid for can stop working entirely, lose its online modes, or vanish from the store with no way to download it again. This badge records that the company has done this.
How we apply it
We add it when the company ended a service so that a game people paid for, or content bought inside it, stopped working, lost major features or could no longer be downloaded again, without a full refund or an offline version. A shutdown with full refunds, or a paid offline version that keeps players' saves, goes on the track record as an event instead.
Companies in the guide with it
- 2K
2K delisted Battleborn and shut its servers in January 2021, after which the game could not be played.
Publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide - Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard shut down the servers of the original, paid Overwatch on 2 October 2022, replacing it with free-to-play Overwatch 2.
Developer and publisher · United States · 4 games in the guide - DICE
EA retired online services for Battlefield 1943, Bad Company and Bad Company 2 in December 2023 and for older-console Battlefield 3 and 4 in November 2024.
Developer · Sweden · 1 game in the guide - Electronic Arts
EA shut down the servers of online-only Anthem on 12 January 2026, after which the game could not be played.
Developer and publisher · United States · 5 games in the guide - Epic Games
January 2023: switched off online services for older paid games including Unreal Tournament 2003, 2004 and 3 and Rock Band 1-3, several of which were also removed from sale.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide - Nintendo
Nintendo, March 2023 and April 2024: closed the Wii U and 3DS eShops, then ended online play for 3DS and Wii U software.
Developer and publisher · Japan · 9 games in the guide - Psyonix
January 2023: online services for its paid 2008 game Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars were switched off. Online play also ended for the paid macOS and Linux versions of Rocket League in 2020; Steam refunds were offered for those.
Developer · United States · 1 game in the guide - Rockstar Games
December 2021: closed GTA Online on PS3 and Xbox 360 without refunds; purchased currency and items could not be moved to other platforms. In 2021 it also delisted the original GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas from digital stores, later restoring the PC versions.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide - Warner Bros. Games
May 2025: ended MultiVersus online services and stopped new downloads without refunds, including for paid content; the game can still be played offline by those who downloaded the final update.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide