Update: BioWare has sent over a statement:
"We are aware there is an issue with our website and apologize for any inconvenience. We have identified the issue and can confirm it will be resolved shortly."
Original story: Subscribers to the new BioWare/EA MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, are having a hard time cancelling their accounts on the eve of a crucial deadline. According to a posting from Massively, many players are reporting that the unsubscribe button, once visibly featured on their profile page, has now gone missing.
It would be easy enough to file this under "minor technical difficulty" and move on, were it not for the curious timing. See, tomorrow marks the one month anniversary of the game's launch, meaning anyone who picked up a copy of the game on day one is about to see their free play period run out. In other words, anyone who doesn't cancel their subscription by midnight tonight will get charged for another month of play, regardless of whether or not they want it.
Apparently, the problem is widespread enough that users have begun posting direct links to the unsubscribe page in the official forums to help each other out. Only problem is, such posts violate the forum's Rules of Conduct, so BioWare has locked many of the threads and warned those responsible.
According to official customer support, the disappearing button is due to browser incompatibility issues, and anyone looking to cancel their subscription should contact the company by phone.
Now, we're not calling conspiracy by any means, but this is certainly a serendipitous mishap from EA's point of view, don't you think?