Lord of Rings Conquest despite the reviews was a very good multiplayer game.
EA shut down the servers on March 16, 2010.

The game was out little more than a year and the servers are gone! PC/PS3/Xbox360-- all gone.
I am never purchasing an EA game again.


I hadn't noticed that they were the publisher before purchasing, and once the EA splash showed up knew it was coming, and it did.
They've been doing this with their sports games for years. Burned once long ago.

If servers are hosted by users and company servers act as match finding tools, why is there a need to shut them down? A match finding server could be run for very little cost. It's almost as though the multiplayer side of it is used as bait. Even from a business perspective, it makes little sense as it's public relations in reverse. How can we make our audience mad. Higher prices? No, got that one already...let's pull the plug on the multiplayer servers quickly after release.

And you know, this was likely not a game designer's, programmer's or coder's decision. It was a "producer" or someone in upper management. It's as though the only action that administration can take to influence a game is wrong.

I once listened to a fast food executive lament about how tough competition was sited as a reason for low sales. I started thinking; I doubt that he has ever eaten at his own restaurant. Anyone that did would know the food had taken a dive.

I seriously doubt the admins who make decisions like this play games.