Swords of Legends Online, known in China as Gu Jian Qi Tan Overseas Edition, promised to bring the beautiful, mythological stories of Ancient China to the West. Chinese developer Wangyuan Shentang & Aurogon released Gu Jian Qi Tan in 2019 and partnered with publisher Gameforge to release the Overseas Edition in the West in February 2022. Though GJQT Overseas had a lot of potential, on June 1, Gameforge announced that Swords of Legends Online would be shutting down on June 30, 2023, a little over a year after releasing in the West.

The Competitive MMORPG Landscape

According to Gameforge’s Steam Community blog post, the decision to shut down Swords of Legends Online was a mutual agreement between the publisher and the Chinese developer, Wangyuan Shengtang Entertainment. The MMO market is a fiercely competitive space. However, while SOLO in China has continuous content updates, the Overseas Edition only received the 2.0 update in March 2022 and transitioned to a free-to-play model, with little to no marketing, thus leading to the game’s failure to attract a sustainable player base.

In the announcement, Gameforge said, "The MMO market is fiercely competitive, and despite our best efforts – including the release of the 2.0 update, making the game free to play, as well as further content patches along the way – we've found that the player numbers in Swords of Legends Online simply aren't strong enough to sustain the game."

Preparing for the Sunset

In preparation for the shutdown, Swords of Legends Online disabled in-game payment processing, preventing players from purchasing in-game currency during the final days of operation. However, to offer a parting gift to loyal players, the game slashed the prices of its in-store items by a staggering 90%. This gave players with remaining currency in their accounts a chance to make the most of their virtual possessions before bidding farewell.

Account Migration Challenges

For players hoping to continue their journey in the Chinese version of Swords of Legends Online, Gameforge delivered disappointing news. Account migration will not be supported due to significant differences between the two versions and compliance with GDPR regulations. This means that when the servers went dark, players really had to say goodbye to their characters and progress. That is unless another company decides to revive the MMO in the future.

The Rise and Fall of Swords of Legends Online

Swords of Legends Online launched in the West in 2021, aiming to capture the hearts of MMO enthusiasts with its fusion of fantasy and mythological Chinese tales. The game introduced a blend of action and tab-targeting combat, appealing to different playstyles within the MMO community. The movement mechanics stood out as a highlight, offering an immersive experience.

Despite its potential, Swords of Legends Online struggled to establish a significant player base. Lack of content updates, marketing, especially not including social media marketing in their video game marketing plan, community outreach, and a period of silence left players feeling disconnected (the SOLO Discord managers stopped interacting with players almost a year ago, save for updates on event sales), ultimately leading to the game's closure, with many players referring to Gameforge as “the place where MMOs go to die.”

*I only found Swords of Legends Online because I was looking for Chinese language video games to help me learn Mandarin. *

Is Gameforge an MMO Killer?

Gameforge is a publisher, not a developer. However, many games that end up in Gameforge’s catalog do not survive for long after. Part of Gameforge’s business model is to turn games into “free-to-play” and then lock certain in-game items behind a paywall.

A Reddit thread dating from three years ago blames Gameforge for the downfall or pillaging of several games, including Aion, Guardians of Ember, Gates of Andaron, Runes of Magic, and Tera.

In 2013, one Tera EU player went so far as to start a Change.org petition to take action against Gameforge.

Still, a lot goes into publishing a video game, including localization and marketing, amongst many other things. And sometimes, no matter how much you put into a game, it can’t build a large enough community of active players. Gameforge says their decision aligns with the need to balance operational costs with the number of active players, resulting in the difficult choice to sunset the MMO. But the question many SOLO players have asked and continue to ask is did Gameforge even really try?

Looking to the Future

As the sun sets on Swords of Legends Online, players are left with memories of a world filled with captivating lore and immersive gameplay. While the MMO may be coming to an end, the possibility remains for another company to revive the game in the future, breathing new life into this once-promising virtual realm.

Players were able to take advantage of discounted items for a period of time as they wound down and bid a fond farewell to a game that held the promise of a rich and captivating experience. As a fan of Swords of Legends Online, this news broke my heart. I made some amazing friends from all over the world in our Luyoung guild and so many friendly players throughout Shenzhou. From beautiful, hanfu-inspired fashion to fun fighting mechanics, SOLO will surely be missed.

Swords of Legends Online's journey in the Western market has reached its final chapter. Fierce competition and low player numbers led to the decision to sunset the MMO, leaving behind a beautiful fantasy world that too many gamers did not get to experience. As players prepare to say their goodbyes, Gameforge's decision reflects the challenging reality of the MMO market. Yet, hope remains that another company may one day rekindle the flame of Swords of Legends Online, granting players another chance to embark on a mythical adventure.