 | Initial Availability: | 1997 |
| Shut Down: | May 31, 2014 | |
| Incorporated As: | GameSpy Industries | |
| Owned By: | Glu Mobile | |
| Links: | Wikipedia page PCGaming Wiki page GameSpy homepage [Archive] |
Delisting
GameSpy was a middleware platform that offered online multiplayer servers and matchmaking utilities for video, computer, and mobile games. GameSpy Industries, born from Mark Surfas’ QSpy utility in the mid-90’s, would merge with IGN in 2004 and continue its middleware operations until being acquired by Glu Mobile in August of 2012.
By December of 2012 GameSpy raised its fees while at the same time unexpectedly shutting down servers for older titles including Star Wars: Battlefront, Sniper Elite, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Saints Row 2, and Neverwinter Nights. Glu Mobile next announced in April of 2014 that all of GameSpy’s operations would be shut down at the end of May. This succinct announcement was made on GameSpy’s pricing page [archive]:
EFFECTIVE MAY 31, 2014, GAMESPY WILL CEASE PROVIDING ALL HOSTED SERVICES FOR ALL GAMES STILL USING GAMESPY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THIS IMPACTS YOUR FAVORITE TITLE PLEASE CONTACT THE GAME’S PUBLISHER FOR MORE INFORMATION.
THANKS FOR A GREAT RIDE!
According to Glu Mobile, as of 2014 over 800 publishers and developers had licensed GameSpy’s services for online functionality, all of which would be impacted by the shut down. This included Nintendo, whose online services for the Wii and DS were built on GameSpy and also shut down in May of 2014.
In the years since, many studios have adopted online services through Steam or spun up their own servers while other titles have come back online thanks to the efforts of fans who have reverse engineered their favorite games or raised money to fund private servers.
Some of these games have been delisted while others remain available without online features. For the time being we offer the below list of affected titles and suggest visiting PCGamingWiki’s excellent GameSpy page for more complete information and links to many fan projects keeping some of these titles playable.
1944: Battle of the Bulge
Act of War: Direct Action
Act of War: High Treason
Age of Booty
Aliens versus Predator 2
America’s Army
Ancient Wars: Sparta
Anno 1701
Apocalyptica
AquaNox
Area 51 (2005)
Arma 2
Arma: Armed Assault
Arma: Cold War Assault
Armies of Exigo
Army Men: RTS
Axis & Allies
Battle Realms
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2142
Battlefield Vietnam
Battlestations: Midway
Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Beijing 2008
Bet On Soldier: Blood Sport
Blitzkrieg
Blood II: The Chosen
Borderlands
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures
Carnivores: Cityscape
Celtic Kings: Rage of War
Chaser
Civilization III
Civilization IV
Civilization IV: Colonization
Close Combat: First to Fight
Codename: Eagle
Codename: Panzers – Cold War
Codename: Panzers – Phase One
Codename: Panzers – Phase Two
Colin McRae Rally 04
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer: Generals
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Renegade
Company of Heroes
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
Conan
Conflict: Denied Ops
Conflict: Global Terror
Contract J.A.C.K.
Cossacks: Back to War
Cossacks: European Wars
Cossacks: The Art of War
Crysis
Crysis 2
Crysis: Warhead
Daikatana
Damnation
Dead Man’s Hand
Deadly Dozen: Pacific Theater
Dungeon Defenders
Dungeon Lords
Dungeon Siege II
Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard
Echelon: Wind Warriors
Empire Earth II
Empire Earth III
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Escape from Paradise City
Extreme Paintbrawl 4
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate
Faces of War
FlatOut 2
Flock!
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich
Full Spectrum Warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers
Gangland
Gene Troopers
Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade
Gore: Ultimate Soldier
Gotcha! Extreme Paintball
Ground Control II: Operation Exodus
Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
Halo: Combat Evolved
Heretic II
Hidden & Dangerous 2
Highland Warriors
Homeworld 2
Hot Wheels: Stunt Track Challenge
Hunted: The Demon’s Forge
I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike
Industry Giant 2
Inversion
Iron Storm
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death
Juiced
Kingpin: Life of Crime
Knights of Honor
Kohan II: Kings of War
Kohan: Ahriman’s Gift
Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green
Left Behind: Eternal Forces
Legendary
Legends of Might and Magic
Line of Sight: Vietnam
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
Lords of the Realm III
MX vs. ATV Unleashed
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Master of Orion III
Max Payne 3
MechWarrior: Living Legends
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault
Medieval II: Total War
Medieval: Total War
Men of Valor
Men of War
Men of War: Assault Squad
Men of War: Condemned Heroes
Men of War: Vietnam
Mercedes-Benz World Racing
Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Midnight Club II
Mobile Forces
Monopoly Tycoon
Moonbase Commander
Moto Racer 3
MotoGP 08
MotoGP 2
Myth III: The Wolf Age
NASCAR Thunder 2003
NASCAR Thunder 2004
NecroVisioN
NecroVisioN: Lost Company
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Nerf ArenaBlast
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
No Man’s Land
O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base
One Must Fall: Battlegrounds
Operation Thunderstorm
Order of War
Painkiller
Painkiller: Overdose
Perimeter
Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor
Prism: Guard Shield
Project Eden
Railroad Tycoon 3
Revolution
Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War
Rise of Nations
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
Road Wars
Rogue Trooper
Rome: Total War
Rune
Rush for Berlin
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.W.I.N.E.
SAS Secure Tomorrow
SBK X: Superbike World Championship
SBK-08: Superbike World Championship
SBK-09: Superbike World Championship
SCAR Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo
SWAT 4
Sacrifice
Saints Row 2
Serious Sam 2
Serious Sam: The First Encounter
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Shattered Union
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
Sid Meier’s Railroads!
Sniper Elite
Soldier of Fortune
SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
Star Trek: Armada II
Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Startopia
Street Racing Syndicate
Stronghold (2001)
Stronghold 2
Stronghold Crusader
Stronghold Legends
SuperPower 2
Superstars V8 Racing
Sword of the Stars
TOCA Race Driver
TOCA Race Driver 2
TOCA Race Driver 3
Take On Helicopters
Terminator 3: War of the Machines
Terrorist Takedown 2
Test Drive Unlimited
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring
The Operative: No One Lives Forever
The Scourge Project: Episode 1 and 2
The Stalin Subway
The Stalin Subway: Red Veil
The Wheel of Time
TimeShift
Titan Quest
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Tony Hawk’s Underground
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
Tribes: Vengeance
Tron 2.0
True Crime: Streets of LA
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Unreal
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament 3
Vietcong
Vietcong 2
War Front: Turning Point
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm
Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Warrior Kings
Warrior Kings: Battles
Wings of War
World Racing 2
Worms 3D
Worms 4: Mayhem
Worms Forts: Under Siege
X-COM: Enforcer
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
About the Service
“Our technology has powered more online games than anyone else in the industry and the breadth of our services has expanded far beyond the simple server browser. Today, in addition to matchmaking, we offer a robust suite of competition and community tools to help make your game that much more compelling.“
Multiplayer Matchmaking
Fast, flexible, reliable, scalable, battle tested, platform independent, and ready to make your game better. GameSpy matchmaking is the original and still the best. It’s like the GameSpy of matchmaking.
User Generated Content & Cloud Data Storage
Turn community members into collaborators. From screenshots to save games, video replays to playable content, your users’ creative power will expand and extend your game’s success.
Player Metrics, Rankings & Competition
Create classic “high score” leaderboards or track 1000s of data points per player. Share data openly with your community to build awareness and engagement.
Cross-Platform Community
Your communities do not have to be islands! Join your PC, mobile and console players into one seamless community, maximizing your network and minimizing segmentation.