Demon’s Souls has one of the most active and passionate online communities on the PlayStation Network, yet publisher Atlus was originally intending to shut down the game’s servers as early as next month in order to save on operation and maintenance costs.

The good news for fans of Demon’s Souls ingenious online component is that Atlus has suddenly changed its tune and announced that it’ll keep the game’s servers running until 2012 at the very least.

Atlus’ public relations and sales manager - Aram Jabbari - had this to say about the extension:

“While it comes at significant cost to us and although it has been over two years since the game revolutionised the notion of multiplayer and online functionality in an RPG, our commitment to the game and the fans that turned it into an incredible success remains as strong as ever.

While the reality is that one day the servers will ultimately close due to operation and maintenance costs, that day is not today, nor will it be this year. We’re excited to continue to support one of the most significant, influential games in recent memory into its third year, and we’re planning to hold more tendency events for our loyal, beloved fans.

If you’ve been waiting to try Demon’s Souls or held off with concern that it was too late to join in, the truth is that there’s never been a better time to see what all the talk and awards are all about.”

Dark Souls - the ‘spiritual successor’ to Demon’s Souls - will be out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in less than two-weeks time, with Namco Bandai signing on as the game’s worldwide publisher.

Be sure to check out El33tonline’s review of Demon’s Souls if you have yet to experience what makes this game so special.

Source: Eurogamer