Tales of Pirates 2 Is Shutting Down

Earlier this week Chinese developer IGG announced that their 2.5D fantasy MMORPG Tales of Pirates would be shutting down on February 29, 2016. The game first set sail back in March of 2007 and despite the fairly simple mechanics, it had a certain charm to it. Many gamers with lower end PCs got their first taste of a free to play MMORPG thanks to Tales of Pirates and many of the other games offered by IGG around that time.

Tales of Pirates is playable as Pirate King Online now:

A Eulogy for the Dead

While its sad to see ToP sail off into the sunset, this move doesn't come as much of a surprise. Developer IGG has been transitioning to mobile gaming for years while quietly sun-setting their PC titles. The official Game Closure Announcement even directs current players to their mobile offers rather than their single remaining client game, Angels Online:

Dear players,

With a heavy heart, we announce the closure of our beloved Tales of Pirates. Our sincerest thanks go out to everyone who have supported us all this time. However, we hope to encourage everyone to continue their fantastical journeys with 4 of our flagship games: Castle Clash, Clash of Lords 2, Deck Heroes and Texas HoldEm Poker Deluxe.

However, it is with a heavy heart that we must announce that Tales of Pirates will close on Feb 29, 2016.

Here are the details of the closure:

1. Payment services will close on Jan 26, 2016.

2. The web page and customer service channel will close on Feb 29, 2016.

Tales of Pirates will be closing, but don't despair, there are many more terrific games from IGG! Have a look at our list of incredible games along with the rewards we prepared for you when you transfer to any one of them. We hope you'll find the same joy Tales of Pirates gave you in your new game.

A strange move considering Angels Online just received a new patch titled the Save Florentia on Jan 28, 2016, just 3 days after the Tales of Pirates closure announcement. It seems obvious that Angels Online, another client based fantasy MMORPG, would be more appealing to ToP players than a mobile poker or tower defense game. Despite the recent patch, it seems the writing is on the wall for Angels Online.

Tales of Pirates in Busier Days

Several Asian studios have decided to switch entirely to mobile already. In 2015 Korean studio Hangame announced their intention to get out of the PC gaming business all together. Many other companies, both in the East and West, are likely to follow suit this year.

To read the full announcement, including transfer rewards for players migrating to their mobile games, check out the official announcement.