Yesterday, it became known that WildStar would be shut down. The servers may stay up for a few more months but they will start refunding payments and "begin the process of winding WildStar down to ultimately shutter the game".

https://kotaku.com/wildstar-developer-carbine-studios-shuts-down-1828862729

I haven't followed the development of WildStar too closely but I know that their player numbers were very low with virtually no presence on Twitch. And at least in the beginning, they focused too much on the

For me, I could never take the game serious enough to invest into it, with their juvenile jokes and art style. Nevertheless, it is really sad to see an MMO shutting down, especially a sci-fi MMO that could have competed with SWTOR.

You're passing comment on Kotaku clickbait? I saw that it was Kotaku and immediately went looking.

Hmm. Plenty of noise about it, all saying that Kotaku announced it. Hmm. What does NCSoft have to say?

Nothing.

What about Wildstar's own site?

Nothing.

Let's wait until there's an official announcement rather than an unsubstantiated rumour.

Let's wait until there's an official announcement rather than an unsubstantiated rumour.

If you don't trust the Kotaku article, it is also discussed on the WildStar forums:

There is this thread, where the Community Manager first confirmed that WildStar would be shut down:

https://forums.wildstar-online.com/topic/157431-wildstar-developer-carbine-studios-shutsing-down/

And then he created a sticky thread:

https://forums.wildstar-online.com/topic/157432-carbine-studios-and-the-status-of-wildstar/

There is no news on the WildStar front page yet since NCSoft told the devs just yesterday that the studio would be shut down. It will take them a couple weeks to figure out the details of the shutdown. Once they have a date, I'm sure they will mention it on the front page as well.

I played Wildstar for a whopping 1 day... wasn't my cup of tea. Had a friend who tried to get me into it and I just couldn't be bothered.

All that money, all that time, all those digital items... gone. Nothing tangible to show for any of it.

That's why this will be my last MMO, because when its gone, its gone. At least the friends we make along the way stay though

I would call it karmic but the head of the project was rehired at Blizzard proving that failing upward is real thing in the games industry. Meanwhile, the people who tried to fix the game into something with more appeal and longevity are the ones getting sacked.

Agreed that the most important lesson of this is how ephemeral MMORPGs are even compared to other games. At least in my single-player games I can preserve my imaginary accomplishments in storage media of some kind. There's no point in getting sweaty and mad at top tier gear or achievos in something like TOR because at some point it will all be erased with the sole possible exception of screenshots.

If you don't trust the Kotaku article, it is also discussed on the WildStar forums:

 

There is this thread, where the Community Manager first confirmed that WildStar would be shut down:

https://forums.wildstar-online.com/topic/157431-wildstar-developer-carbine-studios-shutsing-down/

 

And then he created a sticky thread:

https://forums.wildstar-online.com/topic/157432-carbine-studios-and-the-status-of-wildstar/

 

There is no news on the WildStar front page yet since NCSoft told the devs just yesterday that the studio would be shut down. It will take them a couple weeks to figure out the details of the shutdown. Once they have a date, I'm sure they will mention it on the front page as well.

OK, so that counts as an official announcement. Kotaku has a (probably deserved) reputation for clickbait articles, like the one a while back saying that Bioware had discussed shutting down SWTOR, so I place a low utility score on what they write.

Dev 1: What do you think about the idea of shutting down SWTOR?

Dev 2: Bad idea.

Dev 1: Yeah, I agree.

There, it's been discussed. Of course I don't know that that's what happened, but it *could* be what happened, and it would fit the description "Bioware discusses shutting down SWTOR".

Granted, this time, it was more specific than "discussed", but I'm still disinclined to give them much credibility.

I played Wildstar for a whopping 1 day... wasn't my cup of tea.

Same. It's funny how you can try a game and in hours come to the conclusion it's not a cup of tea.

Bummer to hear...

Oh the flame wars we used to have re it and this game.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...

Same. It's funny how you can try a game and in hours come to the conclusion it's not a cup of tea.

It truly is.

And I still remember the neverending topics on this forum about how Wildstar is going to be the next huge MMO and how SWTOR is going to die and WoW is going to bleed subs like crazy. Then I remember the horrible launch it had and its slow, painful death and I feel happy that I chose to stick around here. Not that this game is perfect, but at least it's populated enough to still be enjoyable

I never really played MMOs before SWTOR, and I feel SWTOR has kind of ruined other MMOs for me.

In these past few months I've been going through SWTOR burnout, so I tried Secret World Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, Rift, Tera, Riders of Icarus, Black Desert Online, and Neverwinter.

With the exception of Secret Worlds Legends (to a certain ppoint), none of the others had that special something that SWTOR has to keep me around for more than a week. And even SWL isn't really an MMO - I think it's advertised as a shared-world action RPG, which I think is actually quite true.

None of the other games had the open-world, fully voiced, immersive feeling that SWTOR has. ESO is a cool game and my not liking it has probably more to do with the fact I don't have friends playing it (and for a new player it's really, really, REALLY overwhelming with all the available areas, crafting, classes, weapons etc. that it has).

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's also funny how you grow accustomed to certain things being a certain way and then you end up disappointed when it turns out the next game you try in the same genre doesn't quite live up to that.

Been a long time coming. The game will be missed by few, mentioned again by fewer and only remembered for its short comings.

maybe if the game had a sort of "rebirth" in 2015/2016 (AKA a re-launch like final fantasy XIV had in 2013 with "reborn" ) then the game might have been saved,

However they left it to decay and rot away into the forgotten archives of history leaving it in maintenance mode prodding it and hoping it would do something amazing when it was a decaying corps that had already been picked clean by vultures and left in the sun so even the bones began to fade away.

Same. It's funny how you can try a game and in hours come to the conclusion it's not a cup of tea.

Heh.. true. That game had very obvious issues right up front... and I'm actually surprised it lasted as long as it did considering NCsofts low tolerance for bull@#$%.

I remember when folks were in this forum pandering about how Wildstar would kill off SWTOR. People are funny.

 

That's why this will be my last MMO, because when its gone, its gone. At least the friends we make along the way stay though

This^^

The true value of a game and what you keep after it's gone.

Same. It's funny how you can try a game and in hours come to the conclusion it's not a cup of tea.

I think I played for whole 2 days in open beta. It's crazy to think an MMO only survived for 4 years before shutting down. I haven't been following it's development because it didn't grab me either (and I play a lot of MMOS) but wow this is one of those record-worthy fast shutdowns.

I played Wildstar for a whopping 1 day... wasn't my cup of tea. Had a friend who tried to get me into it and I just couldn't be bothered.

Same with me, it didnt hold my attention.

Wildstar also hemorrhaged money for almost its whole 4 year lifespan and seemed to incorrectly implement every plan to right the ship. For all of the ire that NCSoft has among MMORPG gamers as the slayer of IPs and the Korean EA, it's surprising that they let it go limping on for that long. It's an interesting case study to me in how developers with a reputable resume can be entirely in the wrong without assistance from an evil corporate caricature publisher. Most of the employees coming out to vent their frustrations working on Wildstar are dissatisfied with Carbine Studios and have little to say about NCSoft.

I never played it but thought the game could have been worth a try since their website's lore pages seemed to indicate they were putting a respectable degree of thought into wordbuilding but it doesn't appear to have been enough to hold many people, and every MMORPG that makes it has some contingent of invested lore hounds. I don't even know if interest is enough for somebody to set up a private emulation server.

I think I played for whole 2 days in open beta. It's crazy to think an MMO only survived for 4 years before shutting down. I haven't been following it's development because it didn't grab me either (and I play a lot of MMOS) but wow this is one of those record-worthy fast shutdowns.

Devilian lasted less than three years.

I played Wildstar rather briefly. Couldn't get past the User Interface; it drove me nuts. Then I heard about it catering to hardcore raidhurrdurrs and thus couldn't help but facepalm and laugh. As if we need another generic PoS MMO that takes the worst elements of WoW and makes it their main feature.

I never really played MMOs before SWTOR, and I feel SWTOR has kind of ruined other MMOs for me.

In these past few months I've been going through SWTOR burnout, so I tried [sIC] none of the others had that special something that

Indeed. I was frustrated with my experiences in SWTOR (or lack thereof) these past few months and got into MMOs I've been struggling to get into since I started playing them, one of which had a PERFECT guild. Yet the gameplay eventually drew me back, and now I find myself remembering what it is about SWTOR that makes it my preferred MMO, despite its shortcomings. Things went pear-shaped, but only for a moment.

If I always return to MMOs I don't like as much every now and then, surely I will be coming back to SWTOR whenever I need a break or just feel displeased to the point of "no return."

I played Wildstar rather briefly. Couldn't get past the User Interface; it drove me nuts. Then I heard about it catering to hardcore raidhurrdurrs and thus couldn't help but facepalm and laugh. As if we need another generic PoS MMO that takes the worst elements of WoW and makes it their main feature.

Raiders are the core group of MMO players you should ALWAYS go after.

TOR didn't and that's why this game is in the sorry state it's in.

Raiders are the core group of MMO players you should ALWAYS go after.

 

TOR didn't and that's why this game is in the sorry state it's in.

I strongly doubt that. Wildstar tried exactly that and went down in flames trying to make up for it. World of Warcraft is still no.1 despite the raid community griping about Mythic+ and PvP stealing their candy. TESO has a raiding community but most players still treat it like a single-player RPG with tacked on MMO. GW2 certainly isn't kept alive by its raiders. Not sure about FFXIV since I read a lot of drastically mixed opinions about it.

There was life in MMORPGs before the raid scene and it will continue to exist after that scene's perceived heyday. TOR's albatross has been trying to out-WoW WoW and then trying to reinvent itself too late for that work. Raiders would have just been sucked away by the games that do raids better since operations have never been TOR's best feature when stacked against the competition.

I strongly doubt that. Wildstar tried exactly that and went down in flames trying to make up for it. World of Warcraft is still no.1 despite the raid community griping about Mythic+ and PvP stealing their candy. TESO has a raiding community but most players still treat it like a single-player RPG with tacked on MMO. GW2 certainly isn't kept alive by its raiders. Not sure about FFXIV since I read a lot of drastically mixed opinions about it.

 

There was life in MMORPGs before the raid scene and it will continue to exist after that scene's perceived heyday. TOR's albatross has been trying to out-WoW WoW and then trying to reinvent itself too late for that work. Raiders would have just been sucked away by the games that do raids better since operations have never been TOR's best feature when stacked against the competition.

No one wants story in an MMO they want end game content.

That content is raids and pvp. WildStar had the right idea it just took too long to get into the raids. And even then it was what the people wanted. Oh and those other games? WoW is losing players by the droves. ESO is barely alive. GW2 had to do raids as people got bored. Right now FFXIV is the biggest MMO around thanks in part to Square supporting the end game raider community.

No one wants story in an MMO they want end game content.

Incorrect.

That content is raids and pvp.

And narrative. And exploration. And customization. And "sandbox" elements. And economy. And roleplay support. And seasonal events. And...

WildStar had the right idea it just took too long to get into the raids. And even then it was what the people wanted.

Clearly not. Preponderance of evidence reveals the exact, diametric opposite conclusion.

WoW is losing players by the droves.

BfA is the first expansion pack in years that's exceeded and maintained its launch boost.

ESO is barely alive.

Also wrong. It's the #3 MMORPG worldwide and its Western player base exceeds the number of Westerners playing FFXIV.

GW2 had to do raids as people got bored.

And yet their raids are notoriously boring DPS orgies that do not satisfy dedicated raiders.

Right now FFXIV is the biggest MMO around thanks in part to Square supporting the end game raider community.

FFXIV is not even close to the biggest MMO around and most of their content updates do not focus on endgame raiding. Rather raiders are content to bash their faces on high tuned hard modes and beg for bug fixes to occupy the time between new raids

There is a strong disconnect between the reality of this genre and its market as the facts reveal and what you'd prefer to be true according to your own taste in games.

No one wants story in an MMO they want end game content.

 

That content is raids and pvp. WildStar had the right idea it just took too long to get into the raids. And even then it was what the people wanted. Oh and those other games? WoW is losing players by the droves. ESO is barely alive. GW2 had to do raids as people got bored. Right now FFXIV is the biggest MMO around thanks in part to Square supporting the end game raider community.

Laughable.