Cities XL net elements axed

Paris-based indie studio Monte Cristo has decided to terminate the online gameplay components of its MMO, Cities XL.

The developer will put an end to subscription offers from February 1, marking the end of the game’s online features just four months since it launched.

The studio claimed in a statement that, simply, there were not enough subscribers to sustain the service.

“Cities XL has always been an innovative project regarding its online dimension. Of course, trying something new always comes with a risk,” read a company statement.

“Three months after the launch we have to admit that the subscription rate is lower than what we expected and therefore is no longer sustainable. Not enough players decided to subscribe.

“We do realise that some of you were real fans of the [subscription offer], and loved to be able to visit other player’s cities and trade tokens between each other. There are simply not enough of us.”

Back in July 2008, the studio had secured €4.5 million of funding for the Cities XL project. At the time the company said its workforce was at around 80.