Source: https://gameye.com/game-hosting-shutdowns/ --- title: "Game Server Hosting & Backend Shutdowns: A Sourced Tracker" description: "Dated, sourced record of game hosting and backend shutdowns: GameSparks, Google Cloud Game Servers, UNet, Unity Multiplay, Hathora, GameLift Windows retirements. What stopped, what kept running, where customers went." --- Reference · updated as notices change # Game server hosting and backend shutdowns A dated record of multiplayer hosting and backend services that have shut down, changed hands, or are retiring. For each one: the official dates, what stopped, what kept running, and where customers were sent. Every line links to the provider's own notice. Last verified6 November 2026 Shut down6 Transferred, closed or retiring3 ## Coming up - 12 Dec 2026 [Amazon GameLift Servers on Windows Server 2016](#gamelift-windows-2016): Customers with no active Windows Server 2016 fleet can only create Windows Server 2022 builds and fleets. - 12 Jan 2027 [Amazon GameLift Servers on Windows Server 2016](#gamelift-windows-2016): GameLift Servers retires Windows Server 2016 support, the date Microsoft extended support ends. - 30 Mar 2027 [Amazon GameLift Servers on Windows Server 2016](#gamelift-windows-2016): Last day to create Windows Server 2016 builds and fleets. After this date, remaining fleets are scaled down and terminated. ## At a glance | Service | Provider | Status | Key date | Where customers went | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Amazon GameLift Servers on Windows Server 2016](#gamelift-windows-2016) | AWS | Retiring | 30 Mar 2027 | Windows Server 2022, which GameLift supports through 13 October 2031. | | [Hathora](#hathora) | Hathora | Shut down | 5 May 2026 | Hathora named GameFabric by Nitrado as its exclusive transition partner. As of November 2026, Hathora’s blog URLs serve GameFabric’s site. | | [Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting](#unity-multiplay) | Unity | Transferred | 31 Mar 2026 | Customers could move to Multiplay by Rocket Science, which provides a configuration importer, or to another hosting provider. Projects on Unity Matchmaker v2 must move to v3 first. | | [AWS SimSpace Weaver](#aws-simspace-weaver) | AWS | Shut down | Mar–May 2026 | AWS did not name a replacement service in the sources we checked. | | [Unity UNet Relay and Matchmaker](#unet) | Unity | Shut down | 7 Jul 2025 | Unity points to Netcode for GameObjects, Netcode for Entities, and the Unity Gaming Services Relay and Lobby. Unity also names third-party libraries such as Mirror. | | [Amazon GameLift on Windows Server 2012](#gamelift-windows-2012) | AWS | Shut down | 10 Oct 2023 | Windows Server 2016, which is itself retiring (see above), then Windows Server 2022. | | [Google Cloud Game Servers](#google-cloud-game-servers) | Google Cloud | Shut down | 2023 | Google points studios to Agones on Google Kubernetes Engine, installed and run by the studio. | | [GameSparks](#gamesparks) | AWS (acquired 2017) | Shut down | 1 Oct 2022 | AWS referred customers to vetted AWS Consulting Partners for migration to other backends. | | [Amazon GameSparks (Preview)](#amazon-gamesparks-preview) | AWS | Closed to new customers | No date given | AWS lists AccelByte, Beamable and Heroic Labs (Nakama), plus its own guidance for building a custom game backend on AWS. | ## The records Newest first. Dates are as published by the provider; where two official sources disagree, we show both. Retiring ### Amazon GameLift Servers on Windows Server 2016 AWS · Server hosting (operating system support) GameLift Servers is retiring Windows Server 2016 builds and fleets, in line with the end of Microsoft extended support. Fleets still on Windows Server 2016 after 30 March 2027 will be scaled down and terminated. - 6 Nov 2025 GameLift Servers adds Windows Server 2022 builds. - 12 Dec 2026 Customers with no active Windows Server 2016 fleet can only create Windows Server 2022 builds and fleets. - 12 Jan 2027 GameLift Servers retires Windows Server 2016 support, the date Microsoft extended support ends. - 30 Mar 2027 Last day to create Windows Server 2016 builds and fleets. After this date, remaining fleets are scaled down and terminated. What stoppedWindows Server 2016 as a build operating system. AWS says it will not extend the date. What kept runningGameLift Servers itself. Linux builds are not affected. Where customers wentWindows Server 2022, which GameLift supports through 13 October 2031. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [AWS: GameLift Servers Windows Server 2016 FAQs](https://aws.amazon.com/gamelift/faq/win2016/) - [AWS: GameLift Servers release notes](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/gamelift/latest/developerguide/release-notes.html) - [Microsoft: Planning ahead for Windows Server 2016 end of support](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/blog/2026/02/25/planning-ahead-for-windows-server-2016-end-of-support/) Shut down ### Hathora Hathora · Game server hosting and orchestration Fireworks AI acquired Hathora, and Hathora left the game infrastructure business. The platform was frozen when the deal was announced, and gaming customers were handed to GameFabric by Nitrado. - 4 Mar 2026 Acquisition by Fireworks AI announced. Hathora says the platform is frozen with immediate effect and will shut down after 90 days. - 5 May 2026 Support for gaming customers ends, according to the founders’ post as reported by GamesBeat. What stoppedAll game server hosting, support and administration. Where customers wentHathora named GameFabric by Nitrado as its exclusive transition partner. As of November 2026, Hathora’s blog URLs serve GameFabric’s site. **Note.** Hathora’s notice gives a 90-day window, which would end in early June. The founders’ post, as GamesBeat reports it, gives 5 May (GamesBeat prints the year as 2025, which is a typo). We list 5 May as the end of support. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [Hathora blog: acquisition and shutdown notice](https://hathora.dev/blog) - [GamesBeat: Hathora acquired, will exit game infrastructure biz (4 Mar 2026)](https://gamesbeat.com/hathora-acquired-will-exit-game-infrastructure-biz-and-hand-over-customers-to-nitrado/) Transferred ### Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting Unity · Game server hosting Unity stopped running Multiplay itself and licensed the software to Rocket Science Group, a company founded by former Multiplay staff. Multiplay still operates, but it is no longer a Unity service. - 31 Mar 2026 Unity ends direct support for Multiplay Game Server Hosting. - 1 Apr 2026 Unity customers can no longer scale new servers or make new allocations, except those already migrating to Rocket Science. - 14 Jul 2026 Multiplay relaunches under Rocket Science Group and opens to new studios. It reports more than 60 live clients. What stoppedMultiplay as part of Unity Gaming Services. Unity no longer hosts dedicated game servers. What kept runningUnity Matchmaker, Relay and Lobby. The Multiplay platform itself, now operated by Rocket Science Group. Where customers wentCustomers could move to Multiplay by Rocket Science, which provides a configuration importer, or to another hosting provider. Projects on Unity Matchmaker v2 must move to v3 first. **Note.** Calling Multiplay "shut down" is inaccurate. Unity ended its own service; the platform continues independently. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [Unity Docs: Multiplay Hosting, get started (notice)](https://docs.unity.com/en-us/multiplay-hosting/guides/get-started) - [Unity status: Multiplay deprecation notice](https://status.unity.com/info_notices/362941) - [Multiplay: relaunch under Rocket Science (14 Jul 2026)](https://www.multiplay.com/multiplay-news/multiplay-relaunches-under-rocket-science-and-opens-its-doors-to-new-studios) - [Multiplay by Rocket Science: onboarding guide](https://support.multiplay.dev/articles/8817738617-onboarding-to-multiplay) Shut down ### AWS SimSpace Weaver AWS · Large-scale spatial simulation AWS ended support for SimSpace Weaver, its managed service for running large spatial simulations across EC2 instances. AWS now lists it under full shutdown. - 29 Nov 2022 Service launch. - 31 Mar 2026 End of support date on the AWS full shutdown list. - 20 May 2026 End of support date in the SimSpace Weaver user guide, after which the console and resources are no longer accessible. What stoppedThe console, the API and all SimSpace Weaver resources. Where customers wentAWS did not name a replacement service in the sources we checked. **Note.** Two AWS pages give different end dates. We show both. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [AWS: services in full shutdown](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/full_shutdown_services.html) - [AWS: SimSpace Weaver document history](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/simspaceweaver/latest/userguide/document-history.html) Shut down ### Unity UNet Relay and Matchmaker Unity · Peer-to-peer relay and matchmaking UNet was Unity’s networking stack from 2014: a low-level API, a high-level API, and cloud Relay and Matchmaker services. Unity deprecated all of it in 2018 and shut the cloud services down in 2025. - 2 Aug 2018 Unity deprecates all of UNet. - Jul 2021 The high-level API is removed from the Package Manager registry from Unity 2021.2. - 16 Feb 2022 The low-level API is removed from the Unity 2022.2 editor stream. - 7 Jul 2025 UNet Relay and Matchmaker services shut down. Games that depend on them stop working online. What stoppedUNet Relay and Matchmaker. Multiplayer features that depend on them. What kept runningLAN and direct peer-to-peer play, if a game implements it. Where customers wentUnity points to Netcode for GameObjects, Netcode for Entities, and the Unity Gaming Services Relay and Lobby. Unity also names third-party libraries such as Mirror. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [Unity Discussions: UNet service final shutdown FAQ](https://discussions.unity.com/t/unity-unet-service-final-shutdown-faq/1611981) - [Unity Blog: Evolving multiplayer games beyond UNet (2018)](https://blog.unity.com/games/evolving-multiplayer-games-beyond-unet) - [Unity Discussions: UNet removed from Unity 2022.2](https://discussions.unity.com/t/unet-including-low-level-api-now-removed-from-unity-2022-2-find-links-to-alternatives-here/877316) Shut down ### Amazon GameLift on Windows Server 2012 AWS · Server hosting (operating system support) GameLift ended support for Windows Server 2012 builds when Microsoft support for the operating system ended. Tutorials that upload WINDOWS_2012 builds no longer work. - 20 Apr 2023 GameLift adds Windows Server 2016. New customers must use it for Windows builds. - 10 Oct 2023 Windows Server 2012 support ends. Existing customers had to migrate before this date. What stoppedWindows Server 2012 as a build operating system. What kept runningGameLift itself. Where customers wentWindows Server 2016, which is itself retiring (see above), then Windows Server 2022. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [AWS: GameLift Windows Server 2012 FAQ](https://www.amazonaws.cn/en/gamelift/faq/win2012/) - [AWS: GameLift Servers release notes](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/gamelift/latest/developerguide/release-notes.html) Shut down ### Google Cloud Game Servers Google Cloud · Managed game server orchestration (Agones) Game Servers was Google Cloud’s managed service for running Agones fleets across Kubernetes clusters. It went GA in 2020 and was shut down in 2023. Its product pages now redirect to Google Cloud’s games solutions page. - 19 Aug 2020 General availability. - 11 Jul 2023 Google removes the Game Servers API from its Go client library, citing the deprecation. - 18 Aug 2023 The Terraform Google provider removes Game Services resources for version 5.0.0. What stoppedThe managed Game Servers API and console: realms, clusters, deployments and rollouts. What kept runningAgones, the open-source orchestrator underneath it. Google donated Agones to the CNCF in March 2026. Where customers wentGoogle points studios to Agones on Google Kubernetes Engine, installed and run by the studio. **Note.** We found no dated public shutdown notice. Google’s status page now says the service has been shut down; the dates above come from Google’s own client libraries. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [Google Cloud Service Health: Game Servers history](https://status.cloud.google.com/products/CkXPZEpV9WfyDhZvZUmC/history) - [Google Cloud Blog: Game Servers GA (2020)](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/gaming/announcing-the-ga-of-google-cloud-game-servers) - [googleapis/google-cloud-go #8238: remove Gaming API](https://github.com/googleapis/google-cloud-go/pull/8238) - [hashicorp/terraform-provider-google #14688: remove Game Services](https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-google/issues/14688) Shut down ### GameSparks AWS (acquired 2017) · Game backend as a service GameSparks was a backend-as-a-service for leaderboards, player data and cloud code that AWS acquired in 2017. AWS closed it to new sign-ups in 2021 and switched off console access in October 2022. - 22 Jul 2021 New account sign-ups and game creation disabled. - 31 Mar 2022 No new games can be published to the Live stage. - 30 Sep 2022 Last day for existing Live games to publish new snapshots. - 1 Oct 2022 Console access ends. Games and data had to be migrated before this date. What stoppedThe console, the platform and the games running on it. Where customers wentAWS referred customers to vetted AWS Consulting Partners for migration to other backends. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [AWS: what current GameSparks customers need to know](https://pages.awscloud.com/GLOBAL-ln-DL-IMM-ISC-GMT-gamesparks-2021-learn.html) Closed to new customers ### Amazon GameSparks (Preview) AWS · Game backend as a service Amazon GameSparks was a new, serverless backend service that AWS launched in preview in March 2022. It is a different product from the original GameSparks. It never left preview, and AWS no longer accepts new customers. - 23 Mar 2022 Preview launch, with a Unity SDK, in US East (N. Virginia). What stoppedNew customer sign-ups. AWS has not published a closure date. Where customers wentAWS lists AccelByte, Beamable and Heroic Labs (Nakama), plus its own guidance for building a custom game backend on AWS. Sources · verified 6 Nov 2026 - [AWS: Amazon GameSparks (Preview), getting started](https://aws.amazon.com/gamesparks/getting-started/) - [AWS for Games Blog: Now in preview, Amazon GameSparks](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/gametech/amazon-gamesparks/) ## Changed, but still running Services that often get listed as shut down, but aren't. - ### Agones Still active. Google donated the open-source orchestrator to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation in March 2026, at the Sandbox level. [CNCF: Agones moves to the CNCF (23 Mar 2026)](https://www.cncf.io/blog/2026/03/23/agones-moves-to-the-cncf-a-new-era-for-open-source-multiplayer-game-infrastructure/) - ### Unity Matchmaker, Relay and Lobby Still running. The standalone SDK packages are deprecated in favour of the unified Multiplayer Services SDK (com.unity.services.multiplayer). [Unity Docs: Multiplayer Services SDK FAQ](https://docs.unity.com/en-us/mps-sdk/faq) - ### Multiplay Still running, now operated by Rocket Science Group rather than Unity. See the entry above. [Multiplay: relaunch under Rocket Science](https://www.multiplay.com/multiplay-news/multiplay-relaunches-under-rocket-science-and-opens-its-doors-to-new-studios) - ### PlayFab Party Still running. New library releases stopped for XDK and Windows 7 on 1 August 2023 and for 32-bit Android on 19 October 2023; existing titles keep working. [Microsoft Learn: PlayFab Party release notes](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/playfab/multiplayer/networking/release-notes) ## How this tracker works - We only list a date when the provider published it, or when a primary record (a status page, an official client library, a press release) shows it. News coverage is used only where the provider's own post is no longer online. - Scope: services that host game servers or run multiplayer backends, and operating-system retirements that break existing server builds. Engines and consumer apps are out of scope. - Each record shows when we last checked it. We re-check every entry at least once a quarter, and whenever a provider posts a new notice. - Gameye runs game server orchestration, so we compete with some services on this page, and some former Hathora customers now run on Gameye. To keep the record neutral, Gameye is not listed as a destination for any service. - Spotted an error or a missing service? Email [hello@gameye.com](mailto:hello@gameye.com?subject=Shutdown%20tracker%20correction) with a link to the official notice. To cite this page: Gameye, "Game server hosting and backend shutdowns", https://gameye.com/game-hosting-shutdowns/, last verified 6 November 2026.