Online games eventually come to an end. For a number of Sony Online Entertainment's games, that time is sooner than later. Four games will be "sunset," so that the company can "refocus our resources on other areas in the best interest of our company and player community."

The four games to be retired are: Free Realms, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Wizardry Online.

The two kid-oriented MMOs of the bunch, Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures, will both end on March 31. Described as a "true labor of love" by SOE senior director of global communications Michele Cagle, Free Realms is ending because it has "reached a point in its life cycle where players are moving on to other games." Clone Wars Adventures has an audience where "players are growing up and moving on." More info on the end of Free Realms can be found here, while Clone Wars info can be found here. SOE promises an "exciting" end to the game, one that hopefully matches the end of SOE's previous Star Wars MMO, Galaxies.

The two remaining MMOs will end on July 31. Vanguard is one of the company's longest-running games, "but given the decreasing player population we cannot justify the resources required to support and update this game in a way our players deserve," Cagle told us. More info on that game's end can be found here. Wizardry Online, on the other hand, is rather short-lived, having launched only a year ago. Subscribers will have their memberships converted into SOE All Access for the remainder of their subscription. More info can be found here.

"We want to thank the players for their commitment and the wonderful memories we made together over the years in these worlds," Cagle finished. SOE still has a number of active MMOs, including DC Universe Online and Planetside 2.