Asheron's Call 2 Closing, Turbine Shuts Down Santa Monica Office

Nearly three years after the initial release of Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings, and only three months after the release of its first expansion pack, Turbine Software has announced that the MMORPG will cease operations near the end of 2005. The news came to subscribers to the game through an update posted to the game's website, in which the Turbine CEO notified players that "AC2 has reached the point where it no longer makes sense to continue the service." The official end date will be December 12, 2005; until then, the Asheron's Call 2 team will continue to host live events but will release no more content updates or patches. In possibly-related news, consumer site GameSpot has confirmed that Turbine will close its Santa Monica studios along with the shutdown of Asheron's Call 2. According to Turbine, the closure is tied more to the original Asheron's Call than its sequel, and the business-development services hosted at the Santa Monica offices have already been folded back into the main Massachusetts headquarters. All 10 Santa Monica staffers will have the opportunity to relocate, to work on the company's upcoming games. Turbine is currently developing Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.