10 Video Games You Didn't Realise Are Shutting Down In 2023
5. Various Unreal Tournaments
Closing Date - January 24th
Unreal Tournament didn't just popularise arena shooters - it perfected it. Cliff Blezinski's pride and joy wasn't the first of its kind, but it's obvious that many modern FPS' share Unreal Tournament's DNA. Although there hasn't been a new instalment since 2007, die-hard fans are more than happy to keep coming back to the classics, even after all these years.
That's why it's sad, no, heartbreaking to learn Epic Games shut down Unreal Tournament's servers at the start of this year.
"Which version of the game?" you may ask.
The tragic answer is - all of them. Because the company started using a new software development kit called Epic Online Services, they had to deactivate out-of-date services for certain games, including Unreal II, Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, Unreal Tournament 3, and Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition.
But it's not all bad news, since Epic Games intends to bring Unreal Tournament 3 back online in the near future. You can still play the other instalments, but online capabilities are no longer an option.
Because the franchise has a special place in many gamers' hearts, it's understandable if this news brings a tear to your eye, even if you haven't played Unreal Tournament since the good old days.