Epic Gameshas announced plans to shutter online services for several titles from theRock BandandUnreal Tournamentfranchises alongside several smaller outings from the seventh console generation. Now known primarily for the battle royale juggernautFortnite,Epic Games’ decision to abandon much older titles isn’t likely to cause too much of a stir among gamers, though those with fond memories of flack cannons and fake instruments may be less than keen on the publisher’s decision.
That said, theRock Bandfranchise hasn’t been relevant in roughly a decade, and an attempted reboot in 2015 went over so poorly that itbankrupted gaming peripheral purveyor Mad Catz. TheUnreal Tournamentgames, on the other hand, still harbor small-but-passionate communities that will certainly be upset to see the cancelation of official online services for the series.
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Epic Games confirmed that, in total, 17 titles will have support for their multiplayer modes axed on July 15, 2025. In addition to theRock BandandUnreal Tournamentgames, the PSP releases1000 Tiny ClawsandMonsters (Probably) Stole My Princesswill also see their online functionalities axed, as will the Xbox 360’sDance Centraltrilogy. An interesting caveat to this is that both thestill-updatedRock Band 4andDance Central VRwill retain their multiplayer modes for the foreseeable future.
Epic Games Online Shut Down List
Online functionality forUnreal Tournament 3is supposedly slated to return at a later date, though Epic Games didn’t provide a solid time frame. Beyond that, smaller titles likethe 2017 tactical mobile gameBattle Breakersand the digital-onlyRock Band Blitzwill be delisted entirely in addition toSingSpaceand the Mac and Linux versions ofHatoful Boyfriend.
The loss of Psyonix’sSupersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Carsis also worthy of mention; while that name may not sound familiar to most, it’s actually a prequel of sorts to what fans now know asRocket League, which came to be underEpic Games’ umbrella when the publisher acquired Psyonixin 2019. All of these multiplayer modes are likely to be mourned by at least a few dedicated fans, and, ultimately, it’s a shame that the routine deletion of older games and services is now an industry standard.
