How Does a Video Game Shutdown Impact Players? Evidence from a Netnographic Case Study of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Shutdown

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Presented at HICSS 2025 by

Although video games continue to grow in number and popularity, our understanding of the impact of video game shutdowns on players remains scarce. This is regrettable, as the forceful and permanent removal of video games likely has significant and relevant effects, given how deeply intertwined with and important for players' lives video games can be. Therefore, in this exploratory study, we present the case of the shutdown of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (BFBC2). Following a netnographic approach, we analyze posts and comments from the BFBC2-related Reddit forum r/badcompany2 as well as 21 interviews with members. Based on this, we present six themes that capture how the shutdown influenced players and explain the role of BFBC2’s Reddit community during the shutdown. Thereby, we contribute to the literature on video game shutdowns, online communities, and video game nostalgia. Finally, we provide promising avenues for future research based on our findings.