Less 'service with a smile' and more 'servers with a frown', as the news breaks that EA are to close down more online servers on March 16th. This is bad news for co-op fans looking to complete Lord of the Rings: Conquest, as this is the highest profile co-op game on the list. For those in Asia, the closing down of the Army of Two online servers on April 15th will be a double blow - no more fist bumping for you. Finally, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames on the PC will be given its burns notice.
The games that are being taken off the EA servers account for only 0.3% of EA games played online. However, if someone has just bought a copy of LOTR: Conquest they will find it no longer works online in a few weeks. Is this a tactic by EA to stifle the trade-in market as gamers will need to complete a game quickly to able to play online? With LOTR: Conquest being released in January 2009, it only gives us 14 months to complete a game - is this a dangerous precedent?
If you have any questions of queries about the server shutdowns you can contact EA support and perhaps voice your concerns?