Plug Pulled on Monster Hunter U.S. Servers
by Cavin Smith on January 2, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Apparently three long years of service were enough for the small community of gamers that still played Monster Hunter on their Western Playstation 2s.
Of course, it’s amazing that the love affair lasted as long as it did. Still serious business in Japan, sales of Monster Hunter games have been remained flat in the U.S. since their respective debuts. To date, the Playstation 2 version is the only one to feature actual online play, a major draw of the series in the first place (PSP releases only allowed ad hoc multiplayer in the same room).
For the seventy-or-so gamers logged on when the servers were shut off for good at approximately 12:25 PM EST, the departure must have been bittersweet. It wasn’t Capcom’s fault, though. According to a blog post on their community site a little over a month ago, the online capabilities of the game were outsourced to a company that no longer wants to remain in the business of networking Playstation 2 games (and really, what kind of business is that anyway?).
Ever the vanguard for its fans, Capcom even petitioned the nameless provider for a contract extension, but they weren’t having any of it.
It’s always kind of sad to see these small gaming communities disrupted — there’s something intriguing about having that sort of dedication to a game that most people have moved on from or completely ignored in the first place.
But progress must be made, and the pool of money to be made from providing support for a failed online platform must look more like a half-dried puddle these days, with everyone moving on to newer consoles.
Since they belonged to the same company, the servers for Resident Evil: Outbreak have been permanently removed, as well.
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on January 2, 2008 7:25 pm
how sad. Its like driving down the street of your town and seeing your once favorite storefronts boarded up.
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on January 2, 2008 11:19 pm
How sad that they shut sich a great game down….MOnster Hunter best game ive ever played…..
cause they decided to shut down the server where does that leave all the ppl that played that game online some never Fought the Fatalis
thats a dream fighting that thing very strong and fun now some weps and armours some ppl will never see
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on January 7, 2008 10:41 am
you 2 are right im Mitsarugi a MH veteran and It breaks my heart it really does I got so much out of playing MH with other people online. You have broken my heart capcom I wanted you to know that. It is deplorable that you release only one version of MH in the US on ps2 and then shutdown the servers. A honorable path would be to allow us to run our own servers I have hope that you may do the right thing so that your reputation will be upheld and a master piece shall remain un-mutilated. There are few authentic jewels in the gaming world and I believe you created one but you are on the verge of ruining it. A lot of companies choose to make profit over quality things which is a shame and thorn in the side of the gaming world. But sometimes a company decides it wants to be truly great. Perhaps a certain “company” should take a long look in the mirror and think carefully about which they would like to be. Make the wrong choice and you will have to square with that one day. And for the record i bought a ps2 just to play MH when it was first released. I do not regret anything about MH
I really love monster hunter… the game and the people on it im going to lose alot of friends and alot of fun. Why would you shut the servers when most players have over 600+ hours on that game! its just wrong..
all the ppl that played that game online some never Fought the Fatalis
thats a dream fighting that thing very strong and fun now some weps and armours some ppl will never see
thats what i think
signed: Mitsarugi MH veteran
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