EA taking a huge amount of multiplayer games offline next month

Electronic Arts’ Online Services Updates page has added a long list of games that will lose online functionality come June 30.

Some of the notable games on the list include Battlefield 2 (PC), Battlefield 1942 (PC, Mac), Battlefield 2142 (PC, Mac), Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC, Mac), Crysis 2 (PC), Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (PC), Neverwinter Nights 2 (PC, Mac), and Star Wars: Battlefront II (PC and PlayStation 2).

According to EA, the games are losing online functionality on June 30, a full month after the GameSpy shutdown. Crytek, for example, already confirmed that both Crysis and Crysis 2 will go offline May 31.

“Since GameSpy’s announcement, our teams have been working to evaluate options to keep services up and running,” EA said on its website. “Unfortunately, due to technical challenges and concerns about the player experience, we do not have a solution at this time. Online services for EA games on the GameSpy platform will be closed down at the end of June.

“We know some of these games are still fan favorites, including Battlefield 2, Battlefield 1942, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Command & Conquer games. We are still investigating community-supported options to preserve online functionality for these titles, such as multiplayer. Significant technical hurdles remain, and at this time we don’t have anything to announce.”

EA’s official Origin Twitter account also previously said that it was working on transitioning Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, and Battlefield Bad Company 2 to a different solution, but that there were still hurdles ahead. Bad Company 2 is not on the list of games losing online services.

Other companies affected by the May 31 GameSpy shutdown, like 2K and Rockstar, have said which games they’re transitioning to a different solution and which will go offline. Some games, like Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and Battlefield 1942 will live on thanks to GameRanger, which allows gamers to host their own servers for a wide range of computer games, including some being affected by the GameSpy shutdown.

Here’s the full list of EA games losing Online Services on June 30:

  • Battlefield 1942 for PC and Mac (including The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WW2 expansions)

  • Battlefield 2 for PC (including Special Forces expansion)

  • Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for PlayStation 2

  • Battlefield 2142 for PC and Mac (including Northern Strike expansion)

  • Battlefield Vietnam for PC

  • Bejeweled (r) 2 for the Wii

  • Bulletstorm for PlayStation 3

  • Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for PC and Mac (including Kane's Wrath expansion)

  • Command & Conquer: Generals for PC and Mac (including Zero Hour expansion)

  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for PC and Mac

  • Crysis 2 for PC

  • Crysis for PC

  • Crysis Wars for PC

  • Dracula - Undead Awakening for the Wii

  • Dragon Sakura for Nintendo DS

  • EA Sports 06 for PC

  • F1 2002 for PC

  • FIFA Soccer 08 (KOR) for the Wii

  • FIFA Soccer 08 for Nintendo DS

  • FIFA Soccer 09 for Nintendo DS

  • FIFA Soccer 10 for Nintendo DS

  • FIFA Street 3 for Nintendo DS

  • Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers for PlayStation 2

  • Global Operations for PC

  • GREEN DAY: ROCK BAND for the Wii

  • James Bond: Nightfire for PC

  • Madden NFL 08 for Nintendo DS

  • Madden NFL 09 for Nintendo DS

  • Master of Orion III for PC

  • Medal of Honor: Allied Assault for PC and Mac (including Breakthrough and Spearhead expansions)

  • MySims Party for Wii

  • MySims Racing for Nintendo DS

  • MySims SkyHeroes for the Wii and DS

  • NASCAR Sim Racing for PC

  • NASCAR Thunder 2003 for PC

  • NASCAR Thunder 2004 for PC

  • Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 for PC

  • Need for Speed: ProStreet for Nintendo DS

  • Need for Speed: Undercover for Nintendo DS

  • Neverwinter Nights 2 for PC and Mac

  • Neverwinter Nights for PC, Mac and Linux (including Hordes of the Underdark and Shadows of Undrentide expansions)

  • SimCity Creator for Wii

  • Skate It for Nintendo DS

  • Sneezies for the Wii

  • Spore Creatures for Nintendo DS

  • Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS

  • Star Wars: Battlefront for PC and PlayStation 2

  • Star Wars: Battlefront II for PC and PlayStation 2

  • THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND for the Wii

  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for Nintendo DS
Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on Twitter @emanuelmaiberg and Google+.

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