Why EW wont renew The Hunter classic?

[Reggy]

In 2006 I got involved with 2 games. To this date both game servers are still up and running. Neither is especially popular nor available for purchase. Both have gone to game #2 & #3, years ago and on to other more popular/newer games. However the servers still remain up and the games are just as playable now in 2019 as they were in 2006/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18 & 2019! The servers won't be shut down as they are needed for the other & new games they support/release.

This is a very close scenario to theHunter Classic. The servers need to be up for Primal, COTW AND tHC. The game development will probably stop, it has too, but the doom & gloom, IMHO, is getting too deep in here and not reality based at all anymore. Reads like Chicken Little (the sky is falling). This game isn't going to announce in the upcoming weeks or months they are taking the servers down, this just isn't going to happen. EW will milk this game until there is no one paying, oops playing.

In fact look at theHunter:Primal released 2015 current status - Abandoned, not touched except to fix a major server problem, yet this abandon ware is still very much playable broken as it may be. You can buy it for 0.99$ USD almost anywhere. EW isn't making profit, heck it's not even breaking even, yet it's still running online. People commenting in Steam discussion thread https://steamcommunity.com/app/322920/discussions/ as recently as Jan 17, 2019! They aren't doing a darn thing with Primal except keeping the servers running.

Why in the HECK would you think this game, tHC, their flagship game for so many years would be any different? This game will still be being played or playable in 5 years unless there is an Apocalypse!

These are my opinions only and as such are neither right nor wrong, although there is a chance, albeit small, that I may be incorrect. Only time will tell.

[Ravenousfox]

Whereas this topic has 5 pages and approximately 30 people from the forum commented, out of a total of 70,000 +. (approximately 4%).
Whereas the hunter has more than 1 million accounts (this results in approximately 0.00003%).
Do you think this game will end?

Not to mention the "active" people on these forums nowadays. I logged in today and saw a total of 15 people online viewing the OFFICIAL forums, kinda sad really.

Just to quote "Goodbye So Soon" song by Henry Mancini.

Goodbye, so soon
And isn't this a crime?
We know by now that time knows how to fly
So here's goodbye, so soon
You'll find your separate way
With time so short, I'll say so long
And go, so soon
Goodbye
You followed me, I followed you
We were like each other's shadows for a while
Now as you see, this game is through
So although it hurts, I'll try to smile
As I say goodbye so soon
And isn't this a crime?
We know by now that time knows how to fly
So here's goodbye, so soon
You'll find your separate way
With time so short I'll say so long
And go, so soon
Goodbye

I'd say it fits Classic pretty well.

[Amauri Di Maia]

I think it will end some day just want to last the max time possible. I think the people who still here that matters, not the other ones that only count for the statistics don’t have nothing to say, but you are right to mention so many people and where are they? The games always have a hype and then start to die, 10y of game is insane, other companies could at this point have the hunter 10 like normally do, making every year a game and some times is the same only the number is changed, I support games that keeps the same over and over the years (with bugs fix if possible).
Schlachtwolf, beautiful what you said, +1 vote!

[BCKidd]

In 2006 I got involved with 2 games. To this date both game servers are still up and running. Neither is especially popular nor available for purchase. Both have gone to game #2 & #3, years ago and on to other more popular/newer games. However the servers still remain up and the games are just as playable now in 2019 as they were in 2006/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18 & 2019! The servers won't be shut down as they are needed for the other & new games they support/release.

This is a very close scenario to theHunter Classic. The servers need to be up for Primal, COTW AND tHC. The game development will probably stop, it has too, but the doom & gloom, IMHO, is getting too deep in here and not reality based at all anymore. Reads like Chicken Little (the sky is falling). This game isn't going to announce in the upcoming weeks or months they are taking the servers down, this just isn't going to happen. EW will milk this game until there is no one paying, oops playing.

In fact look at theHunter:Primal released 2015 current status - Abandoned, not touched except to fix a major server problem, yet this abandon ware is still very much playable broken as it may be. You can buy it for 0.99$ USD almost anywhere. EW isn't making profit, heck it's not even breaking even, yet it's still running online. People commenting in Steam discussion thread https://steamcommunity.com/app/322920/discussions/ as recently as Jan 17, 2019! They aren't doing a darn thing with Primal except keeping the servers running.

Why in the HECK would you think this game, tHC, their flagship game for so many years would be any different? This game will still be being played or playable in 5 years unless there is an Apocalypse!

These are my opinions only and as such are neither right nor wrong, although there is a chance, albeit small, that I may be incorrect. Only time will tell.

Totally agree! You made good points- and that is really the reality isn't it. Even that hated Hunting Unlimited- which died 9-10 years ago is still up and running. It even still has the comp generator! As long as UHC has its generator up and EW keeps the servers going, those of us that stick around will still be able to enjoy competitions and the beauty of this game with all its immersion. tHc isn't going to simply vanish. Many players are still pumping cash into this game- in fact I would guess there are more paying players then there are guests. Long live theHunter Classic! Peace.

BCKidd.

[piomarvado]

Very well! Since statistics do not show reality, let's analyze differently.
Recently another company has bought the Avalanche studios for a few million euros, so this new company will end one of the games without first recovering the investment?
If the hunter is a game that has no financial return, it would have ended a long time ago.

[VonStratos]

can ew make a statement to clarify the situation?

This could be greatly appreciated, i mean if they tell us that there is a road map in motion for this whole year, and i am not talking about new reserves or big changes, but at least a road map to keep the game running with support, it would bring a lot of peace of mind to any possible player thinking about "should i keep spending money on this one? or should i renew my membership?", i don't know if this would be the last year that Classic get new updates and support, but i think it will be still running in 2020 and possibly beyond, even if is just a up but unsupported state. But whatever happens, any announcement will be given with at least some months of anticipation i think.

Other way to look at this is, players are still coming and buying new memberships, even with the game bugged as is, and its true we have lost many older ones, and that is a sad reality, but would EW just close Classic to keep all the effort in COTW? putting all eggs in one basket? mmm i don't think so, not until a new product is in the way to take the place of classic, but that are just my 2 cents.

Recently i came back to an old mmo that i played in my younger days, RO, the thing is awfully obsolete in graphics and gameplay when compared to modern mmo, but is running since around 2002, it still have a lot of players just by nostalgia, and something similar happens here in The Hunter, even with the flaws it has we take breaks from the game but after months or even years come back just for nostalgia of the good moments. Anyway, in my case my membership last till October, what will i do then? will i be with time to play? will you? there is a lot of thing that can happen in real life, no point imho in worry so much about what can happens with the game after this year, when we don't even know what can happen tomorrow with us.

[InstinctiveArcher]

can ew make a statement to clarify the situation?

This could be greatly appreciated, i mean if they tell us that there is a road map in motion for this whole year, and i am not talking about new reserves or big changes, but at least a road map to keep the game running with support, it would bring a lot of peace of mind to any possible player thinking about "should i keep spending money on this one? or should i renew my membership?"

I think Matt made a post a while back that there was an exciting roadmap for 2019 coming up. I think he may still be on vacation as well so that may explain the lack of response to this thread.

[VonStratos]

can ew make a statement to clarify the situation?

This could be greatly appreciated, i mean if they tell us that there is a road map in motion for this whole year, and i am not talking about new reserves or big changes, but at least a road map to keep the game running with support, it would bring a lot of peace of mind to any possible player thinking about "should i keep spending money on this one? or should i renew my membership?"

I think Matt made a post a while back that there was an exciting roadmap for 2019 coming up. I think he may still be on vacation as well so that may explain the lack of response to this thread.

Yeah i remember reading that, that's why i don't see the game going down this year, or so i hope, but "exiting" can mean anything, i doubt EW give us specific info about what they have in development for the game, but at least saying there is some new features in course may be good.

[gas56]

Hey gas, you forgot to bury Trophy Hunter 2003, Deer Hunter 2003, Bird Hunter 2003 and Deer Hunter Tournament. Oh sorry I remember now, DHT was stillborn, it never really lived did it.

DTMB,,... I didn't forget,... I just didn't have enough room to put all of the other games..........
some of those are still kickin' with a foot out of the grave.............

[DanthemanBoone]

Well you shouldnt have buried DH2005 so quick.
Not dead yet. Currently it is still only in the old folks home.

While hagadoo.com, The last large Dh2005 site, closed 6 months ago because the hosting fees were not payed, and all their DH2005 rescources were lost, there is still a small group in England, Granddads Lodge, that is still running a server and has comps every saturday night.
https://www.granddadlodge.com/
As for me and Jimbo, We are still making maps for them.
And of course as DH2005 is a CD. based game it can still be played any time by anyone with the installation.

I do wonder though, that as long as theHunter is on Steam, and it is possible to play offline, the game could be around long after the servers are closed down..