However mixed the gamer’s opinion on Shadowrun has been, it has suffered a terrible fate for such a prestigious name.  First released in 1989 by FASA, Shadowrun accrued a following like no other.  Various spin-offs including novels, trading cards, and action figures  amplified the love that fans had shown the series.  In 2007, pleading fans grabbed at the chance to play a Shadowrun game once more.  Although, it wasn’t what many expected.  FASA Interactive, a company owned by Microsoft at the time, remolded Shadowrun as a first person team-based shooter.  Reviews were mixed, but like its predecessor it also gained a devout following.  

    Unfortunately for that following, the glory days of playing Shadowrun over Xbox Live were short lived.  Recently, most Shadowrun games you will enter will be anything but a team shooter.  Games quickly turn into free-for-all matches where your team turn into a bloodthirsty mob.  And, sadly, they are thirsty for their own blood.

    Much like the joy that one once had for Shadowrun’s unique and skill based gameplay, the community that kept Xbox Live’s dark horse alive on forums will also be dieing away.  Wednesday, Kimona on the Official Shadowrun Community Forum made a post that broke many hearts:


Hi folks,
We’re going to be closing down the Shadowrun forums in about two weeks.  As many of you know, the old FASA crew has mostly moved on to other roles within Microsoft, and that means we don’t have enough people to monitor and respond to posts here for the coming year.  We’ll eventually close down www.shadowrun.com and transition it to the folks working on the next generation of Shadowrun products.
For those wanting to continue discussing the game, check the Shadowrun forums on Xbox.com, or feel free to suggest new meet-up places in the forums here before we wrap up the show.  Thanks to everyone who’s made the Shadowrun community one of the best in which I’ve ever had the pleasure of participating. 
Love and katanas...
-Kimona
 

    With the recent sale of FASA Interactive by Microsoft, this seems like it may be the last nail in the coffin that is Shadowrun’ excursion on Xbox Live.