By the time the closures programme is complete, 34 servers supporting online players of 14 games will have gone.

The shutdown by Electronics Arts falls most heavily on sports games. Only one of the 14 games affected, Need for Speed: Underground 2, is not a sports title. PC, Xbox and PlayStation 2 games are all on the list.

EA warned that although servers will shut down on the named dates and players can continue to log in until the closure time, "certain community programs may begin to close down prior to the shutdown dates".

The vast majority of the games hit by the closures are annual versions of popular franchise titles such as Fifa Soccer, NBA Live and Madden.

The games to be shuttered in October are Madden NFL 2005 and NFL Street 2.

Also known to be affected by the October closure, although EA has made no official announcement on the title, is Armies of Exigo: Rogue Agent.