A great darkness is set to consume part of the Star Wars universe in late 2011.
Sony has announced that its Star Wars Galaxies online game will be shut down on 15 December.
The news was broken in e-mails sent to players and via messages posted on the game's support forums and website.
Sony said the closure had come about because its contract to run the Star Wars game runs out in 2012, not because of declining player numbers.
The other Star Wars game is Bioware's The Old Republic that is currently under development. Sony also runs the free-to-play Clone Wars Adventures online game.
In the interview, Mr Smedley denied that the recent hack attacks on Sony had anything to do with the closure or that player numbers had shrunk to the point that it was no longer worth keeping the game going.
Game changer
Mr Smedley said Sony would be running a series of events for players to ensure the game ends in a fitting manner.
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It's amazing it's kept going for so long”
Alec Meer Rock Paper Shotgun
All billing for the game will stop in October, according to Sony. Those subscribing at that point will be able to play for free for the last few months.
Launched in 2003, Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) helped to establish massively multi-player gaming which sees thousands of players adventure together in a shared online environment.
The game was set in the Star Wars universe and played out events following the destruction of the first Death Star but before those of The Empire Strikes back. Players could take the form of one of 10 different species, become a Jedi and fight battles with spaceships.
More than one million copies of the game were sold when it launched in June 2003 and it initially enjoyed great popularity.
However, player numbers have steadily declined as a series of updates alienated many established players and stripped the game of its complexity. Sony has since described some of the changes as a "mistake".
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