Editing Asheron's Call (section)

{{Short description|1999 video game}}
{{redirect|Asheron|the river in Greece|Acheron|other uses|Acheron (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Asheron's Call
| image = Asheron's Call Coverart.jpg
| developer = [[Turbine (company)|Turbine Entertainment Software]]
| publisher = [[Microsoft]] (1999–2000) <br /> [[Microsoft Game Studios]] (2000–2004) <br /> Turbine (2004–2010) <br /> [[Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment]] (2010–2017)
| producer = Dan Scherlis
| designer = Toby Ragaini <br /> Eri Izawa <br /> [[Chris Pierson]] <br /> Chris Foster
| released = {{date range and age in years, months, weeks and days|1999|11|2|2017|1|31}}
| genre = [[MMORPG]]
| modes = [[Multiplayer video game|Multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
}}

'''''Asheron's Call''''' (AC) is a discontinued [[fantasy]] [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] (MMORPG) for [[Microsoft Windows]] PCs, developed and published by [[Turbine (company)|Turbine Entertainment Software]]. Though it was developed by the Turbine team (with Microsoft's extensive assistance), it was published as a [[Microsoft]] title until 2004. The game was set on the island continent of Dereth and several surrounding smaller islands and archipelagos on the fictional planet of Auberean. The game was played in a large seamless 3D virtual world which could host thousands of [[Player character|players' characters]] (or avatars) at a time.

Released on November 2, 1999, it was the third major MMORPG to be released,<ref>[http://mmohuts.com/free-trials/asherons-call ''Asheron's Call'' Game Review at mmohuts.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712081556/http://mmohuts.com/free-trials/asherons-call|date=July 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.gamesindustry.com/profile/channel/2089?resultindex=0&resultcontext=2089&returnurl=%2Fsearch%2Fchannel%3Fadvertising%3D0%26targetgroup%3D7%26title%3D2089 ''Asheron's Call'' at GameIndustry.com] {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and was developed at the same time as those earlier games: ''[[Ultima Online]]'' and ''[[EverQuest]]''.<ref name="Grossman 2003, p. 299">Grossman 2003, p. 299</ref> After initial success, its [[Subscription business model|subscription]] numbers dropped as newer MMORPGs moved into the market. Its host [[Server (computing)|servers]] remained online for over 17 years after the game's original launch.

''Asheron's Call'' closed all its servers on January 31, 2017.<ref name="Bree Royce">{{cite news | url=http://massivelyop.com/2016/12/20/asherons-call-and-its-sequel-will-sunset-as-part-of-the-turbinestanding-stone-split/ | title=Asheron's Call and its sequel will sunset as part of the Turbine/Standing Stone split | work=Massively Overpowered | date=20 December 2016 | access-date=21 December 2016 | author=Bree Royce}}</ref> Despite several attempts by the community to purchase or lease the intellectual property (IP) for the game, it closed at 12 EST.