This is the best move they've made with XL since release, albeit for the wrong reasons. Restricting features to "premium" members was BS for a game like this from the beginning, and now that nonsense is coming to an end.
I might actually end up getting this game once all the planet offer stuff is opened up in the offline mode. Then again, if it still requires a login just to play offline, forget it.
Cities XL Planet Offer to End, Revert to Solo Game
Monte Cristo announced today that it will be ending the Planet Offer for Cities XL on March 8 due to a low subscription rate. Cities XL will continue to live on as a single-player game, but will sadly lose the MMO features that allowed players to interact with each other. You can read the full announcement after the jump.
A major change like this raises all sorts of questions, but Monte Cristo has already answered the big ones. According to the FAQ, no new content or patches will be published for the current online game or solo game until Cities XL 2011 is released. Also, the avatar mode will disappear since it's tied to the Planet Offer.
Dear Mayors,
First of all we want to thank you for your support since Cities XL was released in October of last year, and as far back as October 2007 for some of you.
In early 2007 we decided to be those who would make a new offer to City Builder games fans. Right from the start Cities XL has always been an innovative project regarding its online dimension. Of course, trying something new always comes with a risk.
Three months after the launch we have to admit that the subscription rate is lower than what we expected and therefore the Planet Offer is no longer sustainable. Not enough players decided to subscribe.
Therefore, it is with deep regret that we decided to put an end to the Planet Offer on March 8th 2010. It will no longer be possible to subscribe to the game starting Monday February 1st 2010.
Nevertheless the Cities XL adventure goes on! Cities XL will evolve into a fully single player game. As soon as march the Bus will be added for free in the solo game. At the same time we also keep on working on new content and new features to keep on improving Cities XL.
We do realize that some of you were real fans of the Planet Offer, and loved to be able to visit other player’s cities and trade tokens between each other. There are simply not enough of us.
Thank you again for your understanding and support.
For more detailed information, you can read the FAQ here.
- The Monte Cristo team