GTA V will survive GameSpy's server shutdown, but Rockstar's older games aren't as lucky
Since GameSpy announced that it was shuttering its online mulitplayer services come May 31st, a few companies have adressed how their respective legacy games would keep functioning in the future. Rockstar Games has recently come out with its two-years-in-the-making solution, and, well, there's a direct relationship between how old a game is and the number of features it'll lose. With last year's Grand Theft Auto V, there's nothing to worry about -- it's business as usual for players as the outfit converts to its own system for hosting online services like multiplayer and progression tracking. Internet play will remain intact for Red Dead Redemption (posse up!) and Grand Theft Auto IV, but online stat-tracking and leaderboards -- and "in-game Social Club services," for the former -- hosted via the Rockstar Social Club won't.
The likes of Beaterator, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (on Nintendo DS and PSP) and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition and Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix take the brunt of the bad news, as they'll be stripped of their connected functionality completely. It's a little disappointing that those games are losing features, sure, but the economics of keeping the lights on for a five-year old music app or a PlayStation 2-era racing game likely didn't make sense for Rockstar anymore. For the full list of what isn't making the cut, be sure to check the source links.
