In a move that’s sure to spark some debate, EA has announced that they will be shutting down a number of servers for their online-enabled games. Most of the games are EA Sports titles, which tend to be updated on a yearly basis anyway, but there are some surprises on the list including Need for Speed Underground 2, and NBA Street V3. At the end of the statement, EA subtly encourages its users to rush out and buy the most recent version of their games: “All of us at EA would like to thank you for your valued participation in our online gaming community and hope that your enthusiasm for these games extends to our current lineup and beyond.”

This is an understandable business decision for EA - most of these games aren’t selling many copies these days, and the amount of online play these servers see at this point is probably negligible. Still, it does call into question the current paradigm of online gaming for consoles. Is the online play carrot being dangled just long enough so that gamers continue to buy each new version? Will online play labels feature fine-print that states “for a limited time only” next time you buy from EA? Is there any hope for gamers who don’t want to purchase a new sequel every year?

With all three next-gen consoles featuring online play capabilities, it should be interesting to see which business models (if any) work for both the content producers and the gaming community.

The full list of shutdown servers can be found after the jump…

August 1, 2006 Online Service Shutdown
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PS2
FIFA Soccer 2005 for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 Demo for Xbox
FIFA Soccer 2005 for PC
EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 2 for PS2
EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 2 for Xbox
NCAA® March Madness™ 2005 for PS2
NCAA® March Madness™ 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for Xbox
NBA LIVE 2005 for PC
NBA LIVE 05 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for PS2
NBA STREET V3 for Xbox
NCAA® Football 2005 for PS2
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 Demo for PC
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 for PC
Need for Speed™ Underground 2 for Xbox
NHL® 2005 for PS2
NHL® 2005 for Xbox
NHL® 2005 for PC
Total Club Manager 06 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 2005 for PS2
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for PS2
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for PC
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE™ 2004-2005 for Xbox

October 1, 2006 Online Service Shutdown
Madden NFL 2005 for PS2
Madden NFL 2005 for Xbox
Madden NFL 2005 for PC