And yet again, an MMORPG is shutting down in 2022. This time, the mobile MMO Mu Origin is affected, which is already no longer available for download. We at MeinMMO summarize.
When is the game shutting down? Publisher Webzen announced in a brief statement on their website that the mobile MMORPG Mu Origin unfortunately has to close. Just one day after the announcement on January 17, the game disappeared from the app stores on January 18.
You can no longer download Mu Origin or purchase items from the game’s real-money shop. However, if you have the game installed, you can still continue playing it.
The game servers will shut down on March 31, in about two months. From that date, even playing fans will be kicked from the game. Webzen has not yet specified an exact time for this.
Why is Mu Origin shutting down? The publisher Webzen has not yet provided a specific reason for why the over 5-year-old game must close. However, it is conceivable that they want to push the already released successor Mu Origin 2 further.
Shutting down the predecessor would make sense. It is also possible that Mu Origin has lost so many players to the second part that operating the original is no longer profitable. But both are just speculations, as we do not have any player numbers or similar information.
The publisher only writes the following words: “For over 5 years, we have traveled the Mu continent with you. With great sadness, we must now announce that our long journey with Mu Origin must come to an end.
We have tried our best to create a better gaming environment for you, but we have come to realize that we can no longer continue this service in this way. We are very sad, but we had to decide to shut down the servers of Mu Origin.
Furthermore, it should be noted that there will be no refunds.”
Here you can see gameplay from the dying Mu Origin:
The community is not very surprised
What is the mood like? Mu Origin no longer had a very large community. The players who still actively exchange ideas in the forums and on reddit are not very surprised by the server shutdown.
Many of them have already switched to Mu Origin 2 or have completely turned their backs on the game. A few fans seem to want to run a private server, but even this post could only achieve 7 upvotes on reddit.
What are the players saying? In a reddit thread, there is a discussion about the server shutdown, but actually, no one is really surprised. On the contrary, people are even asking why it is happening only now.
- The user ProfessorMeatbag writes: “I can’t say I’m surprised. But this is already somehow shady. After all, they only started a cash grab event a week ago. No matter how much you love or hate a game, a complete shutdown is always bad for the people who invested time and money.”
- Imaginos_in_disguise responds: “If anyone ever decided to spend money or time on this game, they are to blame themselves. It was never really good.”
- UndisputedTankhard expresses frustration: “I don’t really care, but it sucks that Webzen is shutting down another game. I still wish I could play Archlord again – not just on private servers.”
What kind of game was this?
Mu Origin was the first mobile offshoot of the Mu universe, which has already released several games, including Mu, Mu Legend, Mu Archangel, and Mu Origin 2.
These MMORPGs are all loosely based on the same, rather grindy gameplay from an isometric perspective. In Asia, the games can achieve moderate success, and the outlook for MMORPGs in the West is not particularly bright either.
While Mu Origin 2 in the Google Play Store has a score of 4.2/5 with over 67,000 ratings, Mu Legend only receives mixed reviews on Steam and, according to Steamcharts, peaks at only 47 players in a 24-hour period.
What do you think about yet another MMORPG dying in 2022, even if it is “only” a mobile MMORPG? Have you played any of the Mu games or are you even affected by the server shutdown of Mu Origin? Feel free to let us know in the comments here at MeinMMO.
By the way, Mu Origin was not among the 6 MMOs that MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch predicts will die in 2022.
