1. a game or version of the game that has become extinct or obsolete
2. the game company would SELL a copy of the required software, not give it away for free
3. by being extinct or obsolete, the company has NO custumer support/content providing obligations to the purchaser of the copy of the software other than basic functional documentation (something like /help)
4. the purchaser should be aware of the limitations/problems of the software and the terms of release of resposibility of support on the company's behalf
5. the purchaser would not be paying the company any monthly fees. Read #3 again, there is nothing to pay for on a monthly basis. The purchaser only buys a copy, the means, the "tool" to convert his defunct mmo into a regular, user-hosted multiplayer game[/edit]
   

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Originally posted by aaddam
I kind of agree with some of what your saying but i still voted no, simple reason is,

You would still loose everything because you would have to start again and for me this is when the bordem kicks in and i move on to something  new.

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Its definently something for MMO companies to think about. That's got to be a positive for the people that it reaches in the eyes of publisher. Which people (seem) to be putting more stock into.

They should release it right at the launch too, so people have the choice of how they wish to play.

Subscribe to an official server for £10 a month or host your own for nought but the price of the game.

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Originally posted by Trindras
but truth be told, there is NOTHING for them to gain by doing it. 

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One reason they don't sell is to protect the source code used within the engine. Even if a game is dead many parts of that source can and is used in other developments.

They don't want competitors seeing this code and they certainly don't want the community getting the code as any flaws found could be used for game hacks against other projects using similar code.

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Originally posted by Fireburst

One reason they don't sell is to protect the source code used within the engine. Even if a game is dead many parts of that source can and is used in other developments.

They don't want competitors seeing this code and they certainly don't want the community getting the code as any flaws found could be used for game hacks against other projects using similar code.

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Originally posted by Fireburst

One reason they don't sell is to protect the source code used within the engine. Even if a game is dead many parts of that source can and is used in other developments.

They don't want competitors seeing this code and they certainly don't want the community getting the code as any flaws found could be used for game hacks against other projects using similar code.

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Originally posted by britoca

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Originally posted by Fireburst

One reason they don't sell is to protect the source code used within the engine. Even if a game is dead many parts of that source can and is used in other developments.

They don't want competitors seeing this code and they certainly don't want the community getting the code as any flaws found could be used for game hacks against other projects using similar code.

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Those are valid points, but wouldn't that apply to any piece of saleable software?

I could substitute the words "the engine" and "game" by "MS Windows" and you basically would be stating that MS Windows would never get sold.  Or are games a different kind of coding altogether?

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Originally posted by Fireburst

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Originally posted by britoca

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Originally posted by Fireburst

One reason they don't sell is to protect the source code used within the engine. Even if a game is dead many parts of that source can and is used in other developments.

They don't want competitors seeing this code and they certainly don't want the community getting the code as any flaws found could be used for game hacks against other projects using similar code.

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Those are valid points, but wouldn't that apply to any piece of saleable software?

I could substitute the words "the engine" and "game" by "MS Windows" and you basically would be stating that MS Windows would never get sold.  Or are games a different kind of coding altogether?

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No. If they sold the game for someone else to host then they would need to supply the source code for bug fixing and game improvements. A MMORPG needs to evolve to continue to keep the players interested.

The source code to any software is a very valuable commodity.

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Yes. Uru did this and it retained its community, as well as continuing to gain new players, on user-run shards until Cyan was able to revive the official Uru Live. It also opened the door to user-created content.

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Originally posted by paulscott
the question is why........  and why do you want to grind you know that all games are going to eventually end.  except runescape we're gonna be plagued with that game forever.

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Gamers are always going to say yes... they have nothing to lose. But it has to be looked at from the perspective of the company.

#1 is pride. A lot of companies don't want to do it because they "own" the property and don't want you to be rewarded for their work even if there is no other cost to them. Sad but true.

#2 more legitimately is that the source code itself can often be very valuable, but less so in much dated games. Can they sell the code or use it again in the future?

#3 A company really needs to look at this from a PR, Marketing, and customer loyalty issue. Nostalgic games are actually quite boost and part of WoW's success are player's still nostalgic for playing Warcraft 2. It can be a big boost to the company reputation and future sales, not to mention how some people think of you in public.

If #3 looks better than #2, then a company should release the code. #1 is just a stumbling block to more business success.

I have no problems with companies releasing their server software after they shut down a MMO.  However, I wouldn't be interested in putting it up on my computer.