Glu Mobile Responds to GameSpy Server Support Claims
Glu Mobile strikes back with a statement that reveals why many games no longer have multiplayer support.
Glue Mobile has responded to allegations that GameSpy Technologies is shutting down multiplayer support in many older PC games without warning, calling the reports "inaccurate".
Earlier this week, gamers flooded Reddit with complaints that GameSpy-reliant titles such as Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Swat 4, Sniper Elite, Hidden and Dangerous 2, and many other older PC games could no longer find multiplayer games online. The only way some players could directly connect to servers was if they already knew the IP address.
The complaints were backed by Sniper Elite developer Rebellion who claimed that the multiplayer servers were "suddenly switched off" by GameSpy's new owner, Glu Mobile. Even more, the decision to shut down the multiplayer servers was "not taken in consultation with us and was beyond our control."
In the same statement to gamers, Rebellion then immediately admitted that the servers could be turned back on, but at a price the studio couldn't afford.
"We have been talking to them since to try and get the servers turned back on," the company added. "We have been informed that in order to do so would cost us tens of thousands of pounds a year - far in excess of how much we were paying previously. We also do not have the option to take the multiplayer to a different provider. Because the game relies on Glu and Gamespy’s middleware, the entire multiplayer aspect of the game would have to be redeveloped by us, again, at the cost of many tens of thousands of pounds."
Glu Mobile's response backs up what Rebellion actually admitted: that publishers "contracting with GameSpy Technologies elects at its sole discretion whether or not to maintain support for its titles." But Glu mobile also reveals that some of these publishers have failed to pay for the GameSpy service for years.
"A number of our publisher partners elected to allow their contracts for GameSpy Technologies’ services to lapse by not continuing to pay for these services," the company said. "In some cases this lapsing ranges back as much as four years. GameSpy Technologies has continued to provide months, and in some cases years, of service support for free. However we cannot be expected to provide a service free of charge to publishers who choose not to renew their service agreements and in some cases remain delinquent in delivering payment for past services."
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Ouch. The statement goes on:
"In each case reported in the press where there was a discontinuation of GameSpy Technologies’ services, the applicable publisher was well aware that they had not made the required payments under their agreements with GameSpy Technologies.
"For the sake of clarity - the situation is identical to fans attributing fault to the hosting company of a popular website for ceasing hosting services, when the website owner refuses to pay its hosting bill.
"Allegations that GameSpy Technologies raised rates unexpectedly are also false. Pricing is set in our Agreements with Publishers and cannot be materially increased by GameSpy unilaterally.
"While we would hope and expect our publisher partners to message their user communities on changes in status of their games, often this is not done. The result is user confusion and frustration.
"It is regrettable that these publishers chose not to inform their users of the impending discontinuation of support," Glu mobile concluded. "We understand the frustration of fans that until now weren’t clear on why their game has lost some of its functionality, but hope that this clarifies the situation."
GameSpy Technologies is a service provider to game publishers, and a separate entity from GameSpy.com, Glu Mobile clarified.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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wolley74 In other words they're greedy arses without much care for their long standing communityReply -
d33dave so i'm greedy if i want my paycheck on payday. i should work for free for the community. right?Reply
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abbadon_34 still sucks, but all the more reason to include LAN and direct IP options in all multiplayer gamesReply -
A Bad Day wolley74In other words they're greedy arses without much care for their long standing communityReply
You fail to pay for a service, you don't deserve to get service. That's fairly simple, no? -
Abion47 Ah, this explains a lot. It makes sense, then, why these games no longer work. If I don't pay my power bill for months, I have absolutely no room to complain if one day my power suddenly gets shut off.Reply
Hell, Glu already showed how much they want gamers to be able to use GameSpy by allowing the servers to stay on as long as they did, but at the end of the day, devotion and community doesn't pay the bills. -
A Bad Day And if you try, you get harassed by debt collectors because you're behind on every single bill.Reply
And there's reason why the debt collection industry has the highest turnover rate, or at least one of the highest. Because it sucks for both the debt-loaded people, and the debt collectors.
And if all else fails, then the bank sues your rear end and takes all of your property except for some of your clothing and personal belongings. -
A Bad Day hastenIn other words you are part of this new generation that thinks they are deserving of what they have not earned.You don't pay for the service you don't get the service. Grow up. How sad our future generations are.Reply
I know some people who can't balance their checkbooks.
I also know one family member that is missing about $300 from her bank account because of of a paycheck issue. The employer's records showed that the $300 worth of paychecks were cashed, but the bank record showed that no such checks were cashed.
And such person had threw away his/her paychecks shortly after receiving them, before noticing the discrepancy in the bank record.
It's unlikely that someone else cashed the checks because the backside usually have a restricted endorsement stating who has the permission to deposit the check. -
annymmo Gamespy slowed down my computer when I tried to use it.Reply
It crashed and worked slow as molasses.
GLU has been a bit dumb trying to use online multiplayer as leverage to people (publishers management) who do not care.
What kind of dumbass developers think outsourcing online multiplayer is a good idea? Seriously, this is the kind of thing that you can know on forehand. We have now even fully decentralized ways to do service discovery, might wanna look into them (magnet links).
They could have supported an open protocol for discovery, something that could be used with many things e.g. Xfire.
Dumbass consumers that demand company servers for free. You can't have this without paying because it costs money. Guess what people, you're parasiting for no gain, demanding that crap that has a low lifetime built in.