Goa Games Services

GOA (Goa Games Services) was a French online gaming portal and matchmaking platform launched in March 1999 by France Télécom. It was the second such platform in France after Infogrames' Infonie. GOA allowed players to find opponents, create game rooms, and launch multiplayer sessions for a wide range of PC titles. A proprietary plug-in called "pulsar" automatically started the multiplayer section of a game once a room was full. The portal was highly popular, and many major PC games of the early 2000s included GOA branding on packaging, manuals, or in-game menus (e.g., Age of Empires II). From 1999 to 2002, GOA also operated the MMORPG The 4th Coming (La Quatrième Prophétie) in France, becoming the first European operator to offer a free, fully localized MMORPG. In the early 2000s, GOA launched and operated Dark Age of Camelot in Europe, handling publishing, distribution, server hosting, localization, customer support, and community management across multiple languages. In June 2004, GOA abruptly ceased its classic multiplayer matchmaking service for about fifty games due to financial losses, focusing solely on MMORPGs. A new portal version, GOA.COM, launched in March 2007, offering casual and free-to-play games such as GunBound, PangYa, Kart'n'Crazy, Warrior Epic, and League of Legends. In autumn 2008, GOA launched and operated Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Europe. From December 2009, GOA began winding down operations: it ended support for Warrior Epic and Kart'n'Crazy, cancelled Mytheon, and transferred Dark Age of Camelot to Mythic in January 2010. In May 2010, it returned League of Legends rights to Riot Games; in June 2010, it abandoned Warhammer Online, and in July 2010, it ceded Pangya to Galaxy Games and shut down the goa.com portal. GOA was a 100% subsidiary of France Télécom until 2004, after which it was integrated into the Direction des Contenus.

GOA was created in March 1999 by France Télécom as a free online gaming platform and matchmaking service for PC games. It was the second such platform in France, following Infogrames' Infonie. The portal allowed players to chat in game-specific rooms, create game rooms, and join existing games. A proprietary plug-in called "pulsar" automatically launched the multiplayer section of a game once a room was full. GOA was highly popular, and many major PC titles of the early 2000s included GOA branding on packaging, manuals, or in-game menus (e.g., Age of Empires II). From 1999 to 2002, GOA operated the MMORPG The 4th Coming (La Quatrième Prophétie) in France under an exclusive license, becoming the first European operator to offer a free, fully localized MMORPG. The license ended on 15 December 2002. GOA then launched Dark Age of Camelot in Europe, handling publishing, distribution, server hosting, localization (French, Italian, Spanish, German, English), customer support, and community management. It was one of the first European MMORPG successes. After a period of stagnation, on 25 June 2004, GOA abruptly ceased its classic multiplayer matchmaking service for about fifty games due to financial losses, focusing solely on MMORPGs. On 28 March 2007, a new portal version, GOA.COM, launched, offering casual and free-to-play games: GunBound, PangYa, Kart'n'Crazy, Warrior Epic, and League of Legends. Two games were cancelled: eXtrem Soccer and Mytheon. In autumn 2008, GOA launched and operated Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Europe. On 1 December 2009, GOA announced it would refocus activities, ending Warrior Epic and Kart'n'Crazy and cancelling Mytheon. On 20 January 2010, Dark Age of Camelot was transferred to Mythic. On 10 May 2010, League of Legends rights were returned to Riot Games. On 24 June 2010, GOA announced it would abandon Warhammer Online, with BioWare Mythic taking over European servers on 6 July 2010. On 29 June 2010, GOA ceded Pangya to Galaxy Games, and the goa.com portal shut down in July 2010. GOA was a 100% subsidiary of France Télécom until 2004, after which it was integrated into the Direction des Contenus.

• 2010

  Dark Age of Camelot operation transferred to Mythic.

• 2010

  League of Legends rights returned to Riot Games.

• 2010

  GOA announces abandonment of Warhammer Online; BioWare Mythic takes over European servers on 6 July 2010.

• 2010

  GOA cedes Pangya to Galaxy Games.

• 2010

  goa.com portal shuts down.

• 2009

  GOA announces refocus, ending Warrior Epic and Kart'n'Crazy and cancelling Mytheon.

• 2008

  GOA launches and operates Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Europe.

• 2007

  New portal version GOA.COM launches, offering casual and free-to-play games.

• 2004

  GOA abruptly ceases classic multiplayer matchmaking service for about fifty games due to financial losses.

• 2002

  Exclusive license for The 4th Coming ends.

• 1999

  GOA launched by France Télécom as a free online gaming platform and matchmaking service.

• 1999

  GOA begins operating The 4th Coming (La Quatrième Prophétie) in France.

Free online gaming portal and matchmaking service, later focused on MMORPG operation in Europe.

• The 4th Coming (La Quatrième Prophétie)

  MMORPG operated by GOA in France from 1999 to 2002.

• Dark Age of Camelot

  MMORPG published and operated by GOA in Europe.

• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

  MMORPG launched and operated by GOA in Europe from autumn 2008.

• League of Legends

  MOBA operated by GOA on GOA.COM until rights returned to Riot Games in 2010.

• PangYa

  Golf game offered on GOA.COM; operation ceded to Galaxy Games in 2010.

• GunBound

  Free-to-play game offered on GOA.COM.

• Kart'n'Crazy

  Online kart racing game offered on GOA.COM; support ended in 2009.

• Warrior Epic

  Game offered on GOA.COM; support ended in 2009.

1. 1Goa (portail web) - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
2. 2Goa Games Services - Wikidatawikidata.org