Bad news for fans of Star Wars: Uprising. On Thursday, Kabam announced that it will pull the plug on the iOS/Android mobile game. Players have the next two months to enjoy the phone-based MMORPG while they still can. Kabam will shut down the game’s servers at 9 a.m. PST on Thursday, Nov. 17.
Over the past few weeks, there have been hints that Uprising would be ending. Let’s take a look at the possible causes of the game’s shutdown.
Limited Story Content
Although it was part of the Star Wars galaxy, Uprising had a difficult time crafting a far-reaching impact on the wider Saga. The game focused solely on the Anoat sector, which contained the famous planets Hoth and Bespin. In the wake of the Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi, Imperial Governor Adelhard sealed the Anoat sector via an Iron Blockade. The player, operating as “The Smuggler,” united a variety of local organizations to overthrow the Empire’s grip on the sector.
Uprising had an intriguing premise, but it hasn’t had new story content since early this year. Players started out with 100 Story Missions, but Kabam continually delayed the story’s next chapter. As a result, players never got to see the titular Uprising actually liberate the Anoat sector from the Empire.
Understandably, it must have been difficult for Kabam to maintain a game like Uprising. Most MMORPGs aren’t made for phones. Yet, even after the game recently introduced Lando Calrissian as a non-playable character, he had a very limited role. It appears even Lando couldn’t amend the game’s delay in story content.
Excessive Difficulty for Casual Players
The other challenge with Uprising was that in some areas, it was too hard for players. To obtain valuable commodities such as event crystals (a requirement for upgrading high-level gear) and lightsabers, players had to pour an inordinate amount of time into the game. Eventually, it got to the point where “grinding” became a common term within the game community’s lexicon.
Generally, users who spent the most time playing Uprising got the best rewards. That’s not necessarily a bad economic model for a game — in fact, it makes sense. Nevertheless, to get the best rewards, users had to play Uprising for as much as 24 straight hours at a time. That discouraged casual players from enjoying the experience, and it doesn’t seem like the game ever resolved that imbalance.
Even though Uprising is shutting down, fans of Star Wars mobile gaming still have other options. EA’s Galaxy of Heroes is still going strong, as is DeNA Santiago’s Galactic Defense. Sadly, Uprising‘s tenure in the Star Wars galaxy has come to an end.