EA has built a reputation as one of the biggest publishers in the gaming industry, thanks to its vast portfolio of sports titles, blockbuster franchises like Battlefield, and high-profile partnerships such as Star Wars. But with such an expansive library comes the challenge of maintaining servers for aging games — a responsibility EA continues to pare down.
In just the past two years, Electronic Arts has shuttered the servers for 61 titles, drawing criticism from dedicated fans still enjoying those older games. While the company frames these closures as necessary to focus resources on new projects and drive adoption of newer releases, the impact on loyal player communities has been significant.
A Wave of Shutdowns in 2023
The trend accelerated in 2023, which saw nearly a third of the closures take place. Among the biggest losses were Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company, Dead Space 2, and Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. Several sports franchises were also affected, including FIFA 16–21, Madden NFL 18 & 19, and EA Sports UFC 2.
This pattern reflects EA’s ongoing focus on annual sports releases, as older editions of FIFA and Madden are regularly retired to push players toward the latest installment. Nonetheless, fans of niche and classic titles like Dante’s Inferno and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning expressed disappointment at losing online functionality.
2024 Brings More Battlefield and Sports Closures
The shut-downs continued in 2024, claiming several Battlefield titles on older consoles, including Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4 (PS3/Xbox 360), and Battlefield: Hardline (PS3/Xbox 360). Other notable losses included Rocket Arena, Disney Sorcerer’s Arena, and the cult racing game Micromachines World Series.
Sports franchises once again dominated the list, with FIFA 22, Madden NFL 20, and NHL 20 among the casualties. Even long-running mobile games like Kim Kardashian Hollywood and F1 Mobile Racing were not spared.
2025 Sees Controversial Closures, Including The Simpsons: Tapped Out
This year has already seen several high-profile shutdowns — with more scheduled before year’s end. While the trend of sunsetting sports titles like Madden NFL 21–22 and FIFA 23 continues, EA sparked particular backlash with the closure of The Simpsons: Tapped Out.
After 12 years of life, the popular mobile game based on the beloved cartoon series was taken offline in early 2025. Fans of the game, which still maintained a passionate community, voiced strong frustration at the decision, with some migrating to alternatives like Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff, though many remain dissatisfied.
Other mobile and action games like Blood & Glory Immortals, Eternity Warriors 4, and Frontline Commando: D-Day also met their end in 2025, highlighting EA’s continued pivot away from maintaining legacy content.
A Necessary Business Move, But at a Cost
While it’s clear EA views these closures as a way to allocate resources to more profitable ventures, the ongoing pattern underscores the ephemeral nature of live service games. Fans of older titles — especially those with active player bases — have grown increasingly vocal, calling for alternative solutions such as offline modes or community-hosted servers to preserve their favorite experiences.
With more shut-downs planned through the end of 2025, players of EA’s legacy games may want to enjoy their favorites while they still can — as the publisher shows no signs of slowing its efforts to retire aging servers in favor of its newest releases.
