10 Video Games You Didn't Realise Are Shutting Down In 2023

No matter how an online game turns out, it's sad when its servers are permanently closed down. If the game in question is a multiplayer, players will have to accept the fact they'll never have the same experience with their buddies ever again.

It may be a heartbreaking decision, but there are a stack of reasons why this unfortunate practise is common, even necessary. Keeping up servers costs a pretty penny, so the studio need to close shop if their work isn't turning a profit. If a game stinks to high heaven, terminating it will feel more like a mercy than a tragedy.

Even if a live-service game turns out well, it can't last forever. Halo 2 was among the most influential online title of all time, but Bungie brought it to an end, so they could focus on the follow-ups.

It may seem cruel, but games have their online functionalities removed all the time. Although the year has only just started, companies have already started shutting down servers, left, right, and centre.

Although many games on this list are gone too soon, it's a miracle some of them lasted as long as they did.

Being the creator of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, it's no surprise Harmonix's most recent project, Fuser, is another rhythm-based game.

Unlike their previous work, Harmonix's latest outing doesn't rely on plastic instruments. In Fuser, you must use your DJ skills to mix and synchronise music with a regular controller.

It may sound like a novel idea that would get tiring quickly, but Fuser is hugely fun and entertaining. You have over a hundred songs to play with from dozens of renowned musicians like 50 Cent, Fatboy Slim, Lizzo, Lady Gaga, and Whitney Houston. You are given so much freedom with blending songs, genres, and styles, you can spend all day mix-and-matching different tracks, regardless how the finished product turns out.

The online service has a great range of modes, allowing players across the globe to collaborate or battle each other with their remixes. There's also a weekly event, where players must incorporate a designated instrument or genre into their mix. If you're not in a competitive mood, you can use the freestyle mode to create your own mixed medleys and shared them on social media.

Sounds fun, doesn't it? Well, too bad. After Harmonix was acquired by Epic Games, we knew the company's servers were on borrowed time. (The servers for several Rock Band titles were already shuttered earlier this year.) Although Fuser's online multiplayer was meant to be terminated in December 2022, it was postponed to a yet unrevealed date.

Nevertheless, it feels like Fuser was canned way before its time.