Star Wars Galaxies Has Become More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine
By Kyle Mann | December 16, 2011 | News | No comments | Share
That’s right, the eight-year-old MMO has finally been struck down. Sony Online Entertainment shut down the servers for good last night, plunging the galaxy far, far away into eternal darkness. It is as if a million voices cried out at once, and suddenly logged out of the game to play something else. Keep reading; I swear the Star Wars references end here.
Galaxies launched in 2003 as a Star Wars MMO sandbox, allowing players to live their online lives in Lucas’ universe however they pleased, whether that meant playing in a cantina band or taming rancors for use in battle. Midway through its life, SOE made some dramatic changes to the way it played in order to appeal to a more action-focused demographic, a move that remains controversial among the game’s faithful. In a letter to the game’s hardcore players, producer Tony Tyson thanked the community for many years of roleplaying fun, reminiscing over some of the more memorable moments in Galaxies’ storied life:
Giving players a chance to live out that Star Wars fantasy has been the best part of the job. Some of my favorite memories include fighting Imperial forces on Hoth in the Battle of Echo Base, seeing those first player-created quests in the Chronicle Master System, fighting the undead in the Death Troopers update and, probably best of all, taking part in invasions and actually getting to make a difference for my faction in the Galactic Civil War.Tony Tyson, SOE
Of course, this isn’t gamers’ last chance to take part in a massively online Star Wars experience, as BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic will replace Galaxies in just a few days’ time. Until then, have a look into the end of the game’s world:
