10 Video Games That Screwed Players AFTER Release
3. "Enhancements" Which Casualised Gameplay - Star Wars Galaxies
Years before Star Wars: The Old Republic, there was the well-received 2003 MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies. In 2005, however, Sony Online Entertainment rolled out two updates which significantly streamlined, casualised, and even "dumbed down" gameplay.
The so-called "Combat Upgrade" simplified combat, while the "New Game Experience" (NGE) released in late 2005 represented an attempt to more closely imitate the successful MMO formula of World of Warcraft.
Some of the more controversial changes included largely scrapping the character profession system, allowing players to become Jedi with much greater ease, and revamping the economy, crafting, and questing systems.
All in all it was painfully clear that Sony had redesigned the game's core infrastructure in a desperate attempt to make it more appealing to a broader player-base in the wake of dwindling subscribers numbers.
Ultimately the plan didn't work as the subscriber count never recovered, ensuring the changes only pissed off those dedicated fans who had stuck around.
Galaxies clung to life until 2011, mere days before The Old Republic was released, though many hardcore players eventually deferred to fan emulator projects which allowed them to re-experience the glorious pre-NGE days.