Sponsored By

Championship Manager Online To Shut Down

Eidos will close soccer strategy MMO Championship Manager Online on April 30, ending nearly five years of operations -- just three months after its co-developer laid off much of its staff.

Leigh Alexander, Contributor

February 8, 2010

1 Min Read
Game Developer logo in a gray background | Game Developer

Eidos is set to close down soccer strategy MMO Championship Manager Online on April 30, bringing an end to nearly five years of operations. Swedish studio Jadestone, who co-developed the game along with Beautiful Game Studio, told consumer site C&VG that it could not discuss the closure due to "contractual obligations." "The game, the brand, the internet domain and the subscriptions are all owned by Eidos and the decision to cease the service is entirely theirs to make," continued the statement. "The decision was made unilaterally by them, and we are not at liberty to comment on any reasoning." According to the report, three-month subscriptions can't be signed or renewed; one-month subscriptions end March 30, but premium subscriptions last until the official closure date. "Finally, we only have one more thing to say," Jadestone's statement concluded. "Thank you, and we're sorry." Square Enix, now parent of Eidos and thus UK-based Beautiful Game Studios, laid off or relocated about 80 percent of the Championship Manager team in November 2009. Beautiful said at the time needed to "re-focus our vision for the franchise and redefine our business model."

About the Author

Leigh Alexander

Contributor

Leigh Alexander is Editor At Large for Gamasutra and the site's former News Director. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Slate, Paste, Kill Screen, GamePro and numerous other publications. She also blogs regularly about gaming and internet culture at her Sexy Videogameland site. [NOTE: Edited 10/02/2014, this feature-linked bio was outdated.]

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like