Age of Empires Online is officially coming to an end this afternoon.

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Servers will be shut down permanently starting today at 4 PM Pacific Time, according to the official site . This comes six months after fans received word that it would be receiving no new content updates . You can watch its final hours, currently being livestreamed by the staff.Since its launch in August 2011, AoE Online players took on more than 500 million single-player quests, another 13.7 million multiplayer quests, and 2 million arena matches. All this activity racked up 2.2 billion in Empire Points (EP). It received a positive review from IGN, in particular due to its presentation and long-lasting PvP potential."The most thanks, though, belong to you, the players of the game," read a statement from the studio. "It has been a pleasure and an honor serving you all. Thank you for the time you have spent with us, exploring all these little worlds together and conquering them for the glory of your Alliance and your Empire. Thank you especially for the times you spent with each other, in PVP matches, in co-op quests, and in the forums and the rest of the internet. Thank you for playing."

Steve Watts is a freelance writer who was just practicing for his real empire. You can read more of his keen insights by following him on Twitter and IGN