Editing SubSpace (video game) (section)

==History==
''SubSpace'' evolved from a game originally called ''Sniper'' (1995), a project to test the effects and severity of [[lag (video games)|lag]] in a massively multiplayer environment over [[dialup]] connections.<ref>[http://reviews.cnet.com/pc-games/subspace-pc/4505-9696_7-30977300.html Subspace for PC Review] on [[cnet.com]] (Retrieved January 30, 2008)</ref> 

After its creators realized its viability as an actual game, public [[beta testing]] began in February, 1996, and it became fully public later that year. 

The game was released commercially in December 1997 with a list price of [[United States dollar|US$]]27.99 for unlimited play, requiring no monthly or hourly fees.<ref name="history">[https://web.archive.org/web/20031223001255/http://subspace.legendzones.com/history.php A Brief Subspace History - In the beginning there were negs...] on subspace.legendzones.com (Retrieved January 30, 2008, archived)</ref>  The game was originally developed by Burst, led by Jeff Petersen, Rod Humble and Juan Sanchez, for the [[United States|US]] branch of the now-defunct Virgin Interactive.<ref>[http://www.oocities.org/epinephrine.rm/prehistory.html prehistory] by epinephrine on oocities.org</ref> The title was showcased at [[E3 1997]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Johnston|url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_06/10_virgin/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19991011205224/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_06/10_virgin/index.html|title=Virgin Showcases New Titles for E3|website=[[GameSpot]]|archivedate=October 11, 1999|date=June 10, 1997|accessdate=July 26, 2022}}</ref>

When the game was officially released, it was not a commercial success due to a lack of marketing and the relative newness of internet gaming.  Two years of playing for free became problematic as many players refused to pay for a game that they had beta tested for two years, and instead opted to pirate the software.

SubSpace server software being distributed with the commercial release of the game allowed users to host their own servers on their own computers, enabling them to preserve the game.

Once VIE went under in 1998, many of its remaining US assets were purchased by [[Electronic Arts]], but the ''SubSpace'' license was not.  

This caused all of the commercially hosted servers, including the official VIE servers, to eventually go offline permanently, and independent user-run servers became the only choice for hosting zones, including original zones previously hosted by VIE.