XCOM 2 developer Firaxis Games has announced that the multiplayer modes are going to be shut down, if you're using the Windows version that is.
In the support article, it notes "As a heads up to the XCOM 2 community, we wanted to share that we will be retiring services for Multiplayer and Challenge Mode for the Steam version of the game". Why? Resources (money): "The decision to retire these services isn’t something done lightly, but it does allow us to refocus our resources". Planned for March 28, it's a shame but there's an interesting silver lining here. If you run Linux, or the Steam Deck, you will still be able to play it online as it also mentions how "this won’t affect XCOM 2 on console platforms, or on Mac and Linux".
That's definitely a strange turn of events, with the Linux and macOS versions being done externally by Feral Interactive.
However, things can change and it's entirely possible Feral could eventually update the port in some way to also remove multiplayer at any point. For Steam Deck, the "Playable" verification was done using the Steam Play Proton compatibility layer, so you would need to switch it to the Native Linux build for online modes to work after March 28 (video guide).
That same issue can happen to any game across any platform, nothing is forever — unless developers and publishers offer up server files to players like the good old days.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Quoting: scaineThat's not really particularly fair here. Someone has to pay for multiplayer servers to run. And the core game itself remains playable here, it's only the MP elements that are going away.
It's not like this is an MMO though. I assume the multiplayer servers exist only for matchmaking not actually running game logic. There are still plenty of games from the 90s where the companies no longer exist and multiplayer is still fully functional because they allow connections by IP or across a local network. It is pretty crappy for companies to shut down servers and never have an alternate means of accessing this feature whether it be privately hosted servers or direct connect options. Heck even if they just added an option in a config file to point to a new ip for the matchmaking service and provided documentation on the protocol, there would likely be people jumping in and developing out their own implementation if for some reason the official one couldn't be publicly made available.
Just shutting down the servers when it's no longer profitable for the company is just giving customers a big middle finger. It's just a calculated decision on their end that the number of people the action will piss off is less than the cost of continuing to run the server.
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Quoting: DamonLinuxPLIt not affect native Linux version but affect Steam Deck. StemDeck prefer: "recommended_runtime: proton-stable". So multiplayer on Deck should stop working too.Did you read the article...?
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Quoting: mZSq7Fq3qsI have no idea why devs hate dedicated servers.
Money.
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Quoting: TheodisQuoting: scaineThat's not really particularly fair here. Someone has to pay for multiplayer servers to run. And the core game itself remains playable here, it's only the MP elements that are going away.
It's not like this is an MMO though. I assume the multiplayer servers exist only for matchmaking not actually running game logic. There are still plenty of games from the 90s where the companies no longer exist and multiplayer is still fully functional because they allow connections by IP or across a local network. It is pretty crappy for companies to shut down servers and never have an alternate means of accessing this feature whether it be privately hosted servers or direct connect options. Heck even if they just added an option in a config file to point to a new ip for the matchmaking service and provided documentation on the protocol, there would likely be people jumping in and developing out their own implementation if for some reason the official one couldn't be publicly made available.
Just shutting down the servers when it's no longer profitable for the company is just giving customers a big middle finger. It's just a calculated decision on their end that the number of people the action will piss off is less than the cost of continuing to run the server.
That's pretty much what I said, right?
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Quoting: TermyQuoting: scaineThat's not really particularly fair here. Someone has to pay for multiplayer servers to run. And the core game itself remains playable here, it's only the MP elements that are going away.
Well, with a FOSS-Game there wouldn't be proprietary, unreleased server-side bits so that nobody is able to host their own server ;)
True. But you missed the part where I pointed out that in a FOSS game you wouldn't have the script, voice, graphics, animations, physics, shaders, textures or the other bits that make a person care about the game in the first place.
I'm all for it. It's just decades away, I suspect.
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wait XCOM2 had a multiplayer mode? I have 100 hours in it and I had no idea... has anyone here actually played it multiplayer?
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areamanplaysgame Mar 5, 2022
Quoting: TermyQuoting: scaineThat's not really particularly fair here. Someone has to pay for multiplayer servers to run. And the core game itself remains playable here, it's only the MP elements that are going away.
Well, with a FOSS-Game there wouldn't be proprietary, unreleased server-side bits so that nobody is able to host their own server ;)
I guess not. But there are plenty of proprietary games even today that allow you to host your own server, anyway. Valheim comes to mind immediately.
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I have bought this game, but never install it. Maybe give it try? I do not have much time to play and can play too many games. In fact, I do not have drive space to install each game I can play.
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Quoting: LachuI have bought this game, but never install it. Maybe give it try? I do not have much time to play and can play too many games. In fact, I do not have drive space to install each game I can play.
It took me 60 hours I think... On the other hand, it might be suitable to play a round (one fight) and leave it again. For sure a great game.
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Philadelphus Mar 5, 2022
Quoting: anewsonwait XCOM2 had a multiplayer mode? I have 100 hours in it and I had no idea... has anyone here actually played it multiplayer?A few posts earlier in the thread:
Quoting: headless_cyborgThis time it was. I played it with a Windows friend years ago.
Quoting: PhiladelphusYeah, can confirm, I played with my brother on Windows some years ago as well.
I remember reading about a funny exploit someone found some years ago, where you make a team consisting of a high-level Specialist and a bunch of Codices. First turn, you grenade all the Codices to make them all split (while not actually dealing much damage to any individual one). Next turn, the Specialist uses the move where the Gremlin flies around and heals every unit on the team to bring your doubled army of Codices back to full health.
That got patched out by the time the article I saw about it came out, though.
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