Karos Online was due to close in April 2012; Rosh took its players
On 6 April 2012 Engadget reported that Karos Online would turn off its servers a week later. Ignited Games followed on 12 April with a release moving its Europe and North America players to Rosh Online.
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What Engadget reported
Justin Olivetti's report on Engadget, published on 6 April 2012, says the team behind Karos Online announced that the game would shut down soon. It also says the team urged its community to migrate to Rosh Online, another game published by Ignited Games.
The article lists what changed the same day. New accounts for Karos were disabled, and current players could no longer buy in-game currency for the cash shop. The game would spend the following week winding down before the lights went off on 13 April.
Engadget also remarks that it had not heard much about Karos since its 2010 launch, and that the title seemed to have struggled to find an audience over its two years. That is the outlet's reading, not a statement from the publisher.
The welcome package
Ignited Games prepared a welcome package for Karos players who moved to Rosh Online. According to Engadget it included in-game items and a conversion of cash shop currency to a compatible equivalent. Players could also start on higher-level Rosh characters, depending on how high they had levelled their Karos characters.
Ignited's release of 12 April 2012
Ignited Games issued its own release on 12 April 2012, reposted by N4G. It says Karos Online players on the global servers, which served Europe and North America, would move to Rosh Online. Karos Points would be converted to iCash, the currency of Ignited's shop, and newcomers would receive welcome packages and veteran benefits.
The release is a repost, so this page treats its detail as the publisher's statement and does not add figures it does not give.
The two games
The closure moved players from the first to the second.
Image: GameXP.com / Galaxy Gate, from the Karos Steam page (2014 relaunch). Shown to identify the game; the image belongs to its owners. Karos Online
Built by Galaxy Gate, launched on ijji.com on 20 April 2010. The global servers were due to close on 13 April 2012, and GameXP.com brought Karos back on Steam on 24 December 2014.
Image: Ignited Games Inc., via the GameStar / Gameswelt press screenshot gallery (2011) Rosh Online
Announced by Ignited Games on 21 November 2011 and reported live in the West on 7 December 2011. In April 2012 it took in the players of Karos Online.
Six days, three dates
The report, the release and the shutdown date, in order.
Engadget reports the plan
New Karos accounts are disabled and cash shop currency purchases stop. Rosh Online welcomes Karos players.
Source: Engadget, 6 April 2012Ignited Games moves the players
Global-server players in Europe and North America are moved to Rosh Online, and Karos Points are converted to iCash.
Source: Ignited release, 12 April 2012Servers due to be turned off
The date is announced by Engadget and matches Ignited's timing. Neither source reports the shutdown after the fact.
Source: Engadget, 6 April 2012
What the report does not say
Neither Engadget nor the Ignited release gives player numbers, a reason from the publisher, or a rate for the currency conversion. Neither report confirms that the servers went off on the announced day, so the page keeps the wording "due to" and the site's board labels it as a closure set for that date.
How many Karos players took up the offer is unclear.
Questions about the closure
When did Karos Online close?
Engadget reported on 6 April 2012 that the servers would be turned off on 13 April 2012.
Where did Karos players go?
The team pointed them to Rosh Online, which Ignited Games also published. Ignited's release of 12 April 2012 moved global-server players over, converted Karos Points to iCash and offered welcome packages.
Can I still play Karos Online?
Galaxy Gate's game returned on Steam on 24 December 2014 under publisher GameXP.com, per the Steam store page. That release is separate from the 2012 servers.