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Like an all-powerful Force controlling everything, GameRanger, a free Mac and Windows PC program, will keep Star Wars: Battlefront 2 multiplayer alive after May 31.
Developer Scott Kevill revealed the news on Reddit this week, suggesting a new strategy for players.
"As mentioned elsewhere, people are already playing it just fine on GameRanger, and will continue to after May 31," Kevill wrote. "(I've already simulated it with GameSpy blocked and cut-off.)"
Released for Windows PC in 2005, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 includes multiplayer support for up to 64 players in five different modes fought in 16 different "battlefronts."
GameSpy Technology, a service that provides multiplayer functionality like leaderboards and matchmaking to many games, including Star Wars: Battlefront 2, announced in April that it would cease hosting services as of May 31, signing the order for the service's termination. Some games like Borderlands will change hosting services. According to recent update on the Steam pages for Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Star Wars: Empire at War - Gold Pack, those games will cease official online operations when GameSpy shuts down.
Today's news is the latest development in a busy few weeks for the galaxy far, far away. First, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced the formation of a "story group" that will unify various timelines and silo the Expanded Universe. Then, Lucasfilm announced the Star Wars: Episode VII cast. Earlier this week, Electronic Arts revealed that a new Battlefront game will be shown at E3 2014. You can watch a teaser trailer for the game below.
