RIP Silent Hunter Online

[cherbert]

Dear Community,

on February 27th, 2014, we announced that Silent Hunter Online will no longer receive any additional updates. By doing so, we were able to offer you the game for a prolonged period of time, enabling you to play and enjoy it as long as possible. However, we have now decided to shut down the game for good.

Know that this was not an easy decision for us. We’ve shared your passion about Silent Hunter Online and enjoyed working together with a very dedicated community (that’s you!). Since the game has launched, we have put a lot of effort into Silent Hunter Online’s development and you’re contribution and support have made it all worthwhile. Sure, we’ve been through some ups and downs, but those shared memories and emotions show how a common passion can bring developers and fans closer together in the end. Knowing that you have enjoyed our game is the reason why everyone at Ubisoft loves working in this industry. Thank you for this!

The shutdown of the game will not take place straight away, but on 31st October 2016, which is still a few months in the future. As long as Silent Hunter Online will be available, we want to enable you to play it and say goodbye. We also want to provide you with an opportunity to get in touch with your friends and make sure you can stay connected in the future. Before the game closes on 31st October 2016, we’ll perform the following preparations:

First, immediately following this announcement we will close the primary shop in which you could purchase virtual currencies for real money. The in-game shop will remain accessible, however, allowing you to convert currencies and purchase content with what you already own or will still gain from the game. Please feel free to spend all your resources, currencies and items in the game now. Go crazy and have fun, try whatever you always wanted to do in the game and enjoy it while it lasts. Once the game is closed on 31st October 2016, all remaining resources, items and currencies in the game will be gone.

In line with our terms of sale, we hereby inform you that there will be no refund of any virtual currency you have spent in the game or for any resources you still may own on shutdown date, nor any conversion of any remaining virtual currency to another game.

Once 31st October 2016 is upon us, we will continue with our final steps. This includes closing the game, but also its website, its forum and its social media channels. They will not be accessible to you any longer. That said, you will still be able to reach our customer support and community management teams, even after the game has closed here.

If you are already looking for a new game to play, this might be of interest for you: Ubisoft celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special offer in the Ubisoft Club. For the rest of the year, each month you will get a classic Ubisoft game for free. All you’ll need is your Uplay account, so log in here and download away!

It was amazing and we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to you, our players! At the same time, we also thank all teams, departments, internal and external development studios for their ongoing support and participation, which enabled us to create and operate this game!

Your Silent Hunter Online Team!

Source

[Onkel Neal]

Alas, BlueByte and Ubisoft got off to a good start with this version of Silent Hunter. I know several people who enjoyed it. No one ever expected SHO to replace the PC versions of SH3, 4, and 5, but it was an interesting concept.

To the SHO Team, thanks. Good luck in your next projects.

So closes the final chapter of Silent Hunter.

[Ashikaga]

Is it possible that players will do something like they did with the Team Fusion server where you can play IL2 Cliffs of Dover online because there are people willing to put time and money into a large server ?

It has expanded the old IL2 CLOD game beyond recognition and Ubisoft has nothing to do with it.

Ashikaga.

[auricom]

Hopefully we will see this live on somehow as we did with SWGEMU or the Earth & Beyond Emulator Project.

I always liked this game, and it had a lot of potential. Such a shame ...

[ornot2b]

I bought SH5 when it 1st came out. My laptop could not run it so up until last year it's sat in my shoebox. Last year I bought a ASUS ROG laptop and while digging around, found my SH5 DVD. It runs great!!!!!!!!!!

BUT, am I going to be screwed now because of this news? Or is it just the SH5 Online stuff?

[Sailor Steve]

It's not even the SH5 online stuff. This pertains only to the specific game called Silent Hunter Online. Nothing to do with SH5 at all.

[Julhelm]

So it will be erased from history? If there ever was an argument against the 'games as a service' concept surely this must be it.

[Mad Mardigan]

When I 1st learned about it being online, an playable as a multi player sim, I was overjoyed.. as the very 1st version I played was Silent Hunter: Commander's Edition.. on an IBM compatible pc, running Win 98 SE. Sadly, the game didn't port over too well, to later newer computers... an so I let it go by the wayside for a while.. until I did a search on google.. of all things, that Ubi had not long released it.. release date was like.. in 2011.

I signed up, an started playing 12/25/2012.. an kept up with it, since then.. Its had its ups & downs in the preceding time.. but despite them, was alright.. some missions glitched up, with inaccurate info.. such as ship names, an not being able to finish them out, after spending time an effort into them... to server stability issues, an error codes... the graphics were pretty decent, for a web browser, flash based game. Only thing missing was seeing men running about as their ships were attacked..

Development was ongoing, until 2/27/2014, when Ubi decided to stop working on it.. a shame really, as it did have potential, despite the issues.. personally, I think it would probably have worked better, had Ubi, done it as a stand alone launcher based.. like WoW, Star Wars: TOR, Star Trek Online.. or other games along those line.. but.. that is just my own opinion..

I guess in overall review, that it was not a cash cow, like some of their other offerings online & otherwise are & were.. a sad commentary.. as there seems to be more of a push to games being downloaded, rather than released on like.. CD disk format.. which to me, has its pros & cons.. more in my own opinion, of the latter.. I personally enjoy the feeling of holding in my hands the fruits of my labor, in buying a game.. much less movie or music.. an knowing that it is mine... an can play it off line, as well as on, any time I want to.

I know some are still set up to be played either way, but some aren't.. an that's what worries me... as I have seen complaints of gamers being banned for some slight infraction.. or perceived one, then not being able to defend themselves or be heard. Then there goes your investment down the tubes.. I know SHO, wasn't set up as a download, but getting back to the meat of the subject.. an that being SHO..

One thing I have to say, was that the support staff was top notch & 2nd to none, in my opinion.. with sub losses that occurred due to server instability, being returned fairly quickly, unless it occurred during a holiday.. which was understandable.

After learning of SHO's impending doom.. with being deep six'ed on the 31st of next month, I created a group on Facebook, so that players could have a way & means to stay in touch with friends made while playing. If any who played or are still playing until the end, would like to know more about the group there, they can message me here, an will be glad to provide the name of the group.

I do know that it has been talked about, approaching Ubi, an asking of it being considered, to see of it being ported over to Steam, an letting them continue it.. if that has been done.. I have no idea.. other than it was talked about by some other players I know in the game.

Until it does shut down.. will keep playing.. as it is.

[beanodublin]

SHO, was a great game and i made many friends on it, but ubisoft again failed to think of the people that play it ill never buy a ubisoft game again they just seem to get worse every year and greedy. signed BEANO

[zedbar]

s.h.o closed?

[PLProGrin]

Yes :/