Dead MMOs and shut-down games: what closed and when
Two archive games have dated shutdowns in the sources, Karos Online, set for 13 April 2012, and WonderKing's Ignited Games service, set for 29 December 2011. Three more have no running official service.
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Closed, paused or just gone
A dead MMO is one whose official service has stopped. The archive sees three versions of that. Some games closed on a stated date. One was paused by its publisher with a promise to return. Others simply stopped appearing in the sources.
The sort below keeps those apart. A shutdown date appears only where a dated report gives it.
Two dated shutdowns
- 29Dec2011
Ignited Games shuts the WonderKing servers, after closing the item mall on 5 December.
msupdate blog, 17 December 2011 - 13Apr2012
Karos Online's global servers are due to close and players move to Rosh Online.
Engadget, 6 April 2012
Services that closed on a date
Both games came back later under other publishers.
Karos Online Playable
- First Western release
- 20 April 2010, on ijji.com
- Today
- GameXP.com's version is free to play on Steam; the original global service closed on 13 April 2012
Global servers due to close on 13 April 2012. GameXP.com released a separate Steam version on 24 December 2014.
WonderKing Playable
- First Western release
- 28 January 2010, North America
- Today
- Free to play on Steam since the relaunch of 12 January 2026
Ignited Games announced a temporary closure on 17 December 2011. The announcement said accounts would be restored when service returned. A wondersoft relaunch reached Steam on 12 January 2026, and nothing ties it to the earlier service.
No running official service
No shutdown date is on record for these three, so their pages are records only.
Rosh Online Not running
- First Western release
- 7 December 2011, after closed-beta sign-ups from 21 November 2011
- Today
- No running official service found
Launched on 7 December 2011. The Rosh Online domain, roshonline.com, now shows a domain-for-sale page.
WindSlayer 2 Not running
- First Western release
- Closed beta on 20 October 2011, open beta on 4 November 2011
- Today
- No running official service found
Open beta began on 4 November 2011. No official service for the game runs today.
SevenCore Not running
- First Western release
- Closed beta on 9 August 2012
- Today
- No running official service found
Developed by Noria in Seoul and run in the West by gPotato in 2012. No running official service was found.
Status at a glance
Service status of the five games
Karos Online
- What the record shows
- Global servers due off 13 April 2012
- Status on 30 October 2026
- Separate 2014 Steam version running
WonderKing
- What the record shows
- Ignited service closed 29 December 2011
- Status on 30 October 2026
- 2026 Steam relaunch running
Rosh Online
- What the record shows
- No closure date stated
- Status on 30 October 2026
- No running official service found
WindSlayer 2
- What the record shows
- No closure date stated
- Status on 30 October 2026
- No running official service found
SevenCore
- What the record shows
- No closure date stated
- Status on 30 October 2026
- No running official service found
What a closure looks like in the record
The sources describe the same sequence more than once. Money stops first and the servers follow. Engadget reported on 6 April 2012 that Karos Online had disabled new accounts and stopped in-game currency sales a week before 13 April. Per the notice, Ignited Games was to close WonderKing's item mall on 5 December 2011, 24 days before the servers were due off on 29 December (msupdate blog, 17 December 2011).
Outside the archive the pattern holds. GameBanshee reported on 24 June 2011 that Star Wars Galaxies would stop taking new and reactivated accounts on 15 September, end billing on 15 October and close on 15 December 2011. PCGamesN reported on 31 August 2012 that subscription billing and Paragon Market purchases for City of Heroes would stop immediately, with the servers closing on 30 November (PCGamesN, 3 October 2012).
Timing differs more than sequence. Karos Online's notice came a week before its end, and WonderKing's came 12 days before. Star Wars Galaxies had almost six months between announcement and shutdown, and Warhammer Online had three. The two archive games gave players the least warning in the record this hub reviews.
Outside shutdowns, dated
Three well-known MMOs from the same years
Star Wars Galaxies
- Announced
- 24 June 2011, Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts
- Servers off
- 15 December 2011
- What the source says
- Sign-ups ended 15 September and billing ended 15 October 2011 (GameBanshee); a galaxy-ending event was planned for the final week (Shacknews, 24 June 2011)
City of Heroes
- Announced
- 31 August 2012, NCsoft
- Servers off
- 30 November 2012
- What the source says
- NCsoft cited a realignment of company focus and publishing support (PCGamesN); its open letter said it had exhausted all options, including selling the studio and the rights (PCGamesN, 3 October 2012)
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
- Announced
- 18 September 2013, Mythic
- Servers off
- 18 December 2013
- What the source says
- Game Informer tied the shutdown to the end of a licensing agreement with Games Workshop
Dates are those in the named reports. Reasons are the publishers' as reported, not our assessment.
Reasons, and what came back
The archive's closures carry thinner reasons than the big ones. Ignited Games' December 2011 notice said it would temporarily discontinue WonderKing over unresolved issues with the developers, including a limited amount of new content. Engadget remarked that Karos Online seemed to have struggled to find an audience, which is the outlet's reading and not the publisher's. Neither notice names a financial cause.
Return paths differ too. Karos Online came back on Steam from GameXP.com on 24 December 2014, WonderKing from wondersoft on 12 January 2026, and DarkEden as SOFTON's Dark Eden Origin on 17 August 2017. A publisher exit is not always a closure, either: Shacknews reported on 12 August 2026 that Amazon will end its live service for Lost Ark in the West in early 2027 while Smilegate takes the game over.
For the old games' age, see old MMORPGs. The Best lists cover games you can start now, and the timeline holds each archive date.
How to read a closure notice
Four checks that the sources in this hub make easy to apply.
- Separate the announcement date from the date the servers go off. Engadget's Karos report ran a week ahead, Game Informer's Warhammer notice three months ahead.
- Find the first service that stops. In the record above it is new accounts, billing or the item shop.
- Check what happens to accounts. WonderKing's notice promised that user data would be kept for a return.
- Look for who runs the title later. A relaunch on Steam is a separate release unless a source ties it to the earlier service.
More on closures
Read the full account in Karos Online: the shutdown and Rosh Online. The old MMORPGs hub orders the same games by age.
Questions about dead MMOs
When did Karos Online shut down?
The global servers were due to close on 13 April 2012, per Engadget's report of 6 April 2012.
Did WonderKing close for good?
The December 2011 notice described a temporary closure. Ignited's site still listed the game in June 2012.
Where did Karos Online players go?
Ignited Games moved them to Rosh Online.
Which archive games have no running service?
Rosh Online, WindSlayer 2 and SevenCore, as of 30 October 2026.
When did Star Wars Galaxies shut down?
Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts ended it on 15 December 2011, after announcing the date on 24 June 2011, per GameBanshee and Shacknews.
Why did Warhammer Online close?
Game Informer tied the 18 December 2013 shutdown to the end of a licensing agreement with Games Workshop.