RE: Outbreak, Monster Hunter Servers Going Down
The action is not a result of a Capcom-made decision, but is instead due to the third-party hosting company closing that portion of its business. Following the server shutdown, players will not be able to play either game online, though the single-player campaigns will remain unaffected.
Both games were originally released in 2004. Resident Evil: Outbreak, which was heavily criticized for lengthy load times and lacking player communication, allowed players to face off against a number of zombified creatures, including elephants. Monster Hunter had players working together to slay epic beasts, such as dragons, with text chat as their only means of communication.
According to the post, Capcom made several efforts to keep the servers online--including contract extension and outsourcing--but the unspecified company "doesnÂ’t want to mess around with the time/money involved in porting anything."
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If you require a 3rd party to run your multiplayer game servers, you are doing it wrong.