2026 will be a year of farewells in the gaming industry. Dozens of titles will stop being sold or will directly shut down their servers, in a phenomenon that is repeating itself with increasing force.
The reasons are varied: licenses that expire, low profitability, studio closures and the high cost of sustaining online services. The result is the same: games that disappear or become unplayable.
Decenas de títulos dejarán de venderse o directamente cerrarán sus servidores
Why so many video games cease to exist
Every year, hundreds of video games are withdrawn from digital stores or lose key features. In some cases, the problem is contractual; in others, it is economic.
Online titles are the most exposed. When the player base drops, maintaining servers stops being viable and companies choose to shut down operations.
Anthem and the shutdown of a failed promise
Anthem is one of the most high-profile cases. The looter shooter from Electronic Arts and BioWare, released in 2019, never managed to meet expectations.
Anthem y el cierre de una promesa fallida
After canceling its reinvention, Anthem Next, EA removed the game from stores and confirmed the definitive server shutdown on January 12.
New World and the wear and tear of Amazon's MMO
New World debuted in 2021 with record numbers on Steam. However, it couldn't sustain long-term interest.
New World y el desgaste del MMO de Amazon
Amazon Game Studios canceled the development of new content and announced that the game will enter maintenance mode during 2026, before the final shutdown.
More major shutdowns: sports, action, and battle royale
Other major titles that are saying goodbye are Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, SUPERVIVE and NBA Live 19. In every case, the drop in players was decisive.
There are also shutdowns in regular sports franchises, such as WWE 2K24, NBA 2K25 and TopSpin 2K25, a practice already familiar from 2K Games.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt
Indies, licenses, and studios that shut down operations
The impact is even greater in the independent world. Games such as A Normal Lost Phone or River City Ransom: Underground are disappearing because of studio closures or license expirations.
The list is completed by dozens of smaller titles that, week after week, cease to exist without much noise.
