From Software’s original controller breaker and the game that laid the groundwork for the Dark Souls and Bloodborne series, Demon’s Souls, will be losing its online services on February 28th, 2018.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the closure of the service and will affect players worldwide. Originally released in Japan in February 2009 on PS3 by Sony Japan, coming to North America thanks to Atlus a year later. At one point Atlus planned to end the online service for Demon Souls in 2012, but changed plans after “a number of developments … made it possible for us to continue to invest in and support our fans as they have continued to invest in and support us and Demon’s Souls.”
The termination of Demon’s Souls online services will deactivate the online co-operative and competitive multiplayers, the ability to write and read messages from other players, and the ability to see other players deaths and wondering illusions. One of the biggest impact will be the game’s Old Monk boss battle, which attempts to summon another player to the player’s world.