Square Enix shuts down CoreOnline

Square Enix has shut down CoreOnline after the browser-based game streaming service failed to find commercial success.

The service, launched in August 2012, was always labeled as experimental but company executives clearly put a lot of stock in the future of CoreOnline.

Customers could either buy individual games, pay a monthly subscription of $2.99, or play free for up to 20 minutes a day.

Titles available on the platform included Hitman: Blood Money, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Mini Ninjas.

By November 2013 it was evident that faith had been misplaced, and Square Enix quietly disabled the service.

"CoreOnline was released as an experiment to see what demand there would be for HD games played via the browser,” reads a message on the CoreOnline support page.

“However, due to limited commercial take-up of this initiative, CoreOnline closed on Friday 29th November 2013."

Square Enix says it has no plans to reopen the service.

The CoreOnline FAQ states that anyone who had an unexpired subscription when Square Enix disabled the service will receive a full refund for the most recent payment.