Demon's Souls Going Offline In May

Soon Atlus will turn off the multiplayer for PS3 action RPG Demon's Souls. After extending support on multiple occasions, the company has decided to finally shut down the North American servers at the end of May.

Demon's Souls can be played from beginning to end as single-player. However, connecting to the servers adds a new dimension to the game. Players can leave each other helpful notes to warn them of traps or enemies, or point out hidden treasure. They can also join each other's games and either kill or help their fellow players.

The multiplayer servers will officially go offline on May 31st. Atlus will hold a pair of two-week World Tendency events during that month. They'll let fans decide whether these events will be White or Black events.

"We poured our heart and soul into every facet of our involvement with Demon’s Souls, particularly the title’s memorable Deluxe Edition, which served as the only avenue through which to purchase the game’s official strategy guide," Atlus said in a statement to Game Informer. "It was also of the utmost importance for us to sustain the game’s online experience as long as possible, even beyond the point at which sales could help to offset the expense. Regrettably, the online servers cannot be sustained forever and now the end draws near. Thank you to the unparalleled passion and support of the Demon’s Souls community throughout these last two and a half years.

"The online adventure may end soon, but the memory of it—just like that of every boss strategy, every level floor plan, and hidden secret—lives on in the gamers for whom the game was so special."

Demon's Souls launched in North America on October 2009 so Atlus has kept up the servers for an impressive amount of time. I imagine sales and multiplayer activity have significantly slowed down, though, now that spiritual successor Dark Souls is on the market.