All good things must come to an end, and in the game industry, that is something that happens a lot. Even huge games, with millions of fans and thousands of daily players, are not safe from the live-service creep, and can collapse at any given minute.
But there are strange cases, where the games were doing quite well, but suddenly, a step in the wrong direction, or a drop in player count was enough to make the ghost of the axe appear over their titles. Accompany us, dear readers, to learn about the tragic tale of these 8 huge games that completely collapsed before anyone noticed.
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Marvel Avengers
No One Saw The Snap Coming
Marvel's Avengers
- Released
- September 4, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Violence
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, PC
There are times when an idea is blessed with both budget and execution time, and still, the results are not nearly enough to cover the expectations of the publishers or the audience. Marvel Avengers might have been one of the best Marvel games ever made, but it suffered greatly from a confusing and poorly managed in-game economy that made no sense at all.
At the same time, while players on Playstation were enjoying their exclusive heroes, folks on PC were struggling with technical issues and an overabundance of microtransactions that had no place in a mostly offline RPG. This was the chronicle of a death foretold, for a game that never made it to its third year, and its online services (the only thing that added replay value to the game) were eliminated for good.
Firefall
It's Downfall Made Millions Cry
Firefall
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 55 /100
- Released
- July 29, 2014
- Platform(s)
- PC
Firefall holds a special place in the hearts of MMO players and Sci-Fi fans. It was a cooperative action MMORPG where players using power suits fought against mutated lifeforms (and the Chosen) while helping establish lasting peace on a planet Earth ravaged by a strange dimensional phenomenon.
The game was fun, engaging, huge, and at its peak, it had over 6 million registered users. Sadly, it all came crashing down when Red 5 Studios announced its shutdown, and the layoff of all its employees. And it was just the week prior to X-Mas, which was another punch to the gut. Fans all over the world gathered to mourn the fallen team and the game that had brought so much joy to them. Until today, rumors of its return keep circulating around certain circles, but there's no confirmation whatsoever of a possible comeback.
The Cycle
Great Game, Great Concept, But Plagued By Cheaters
The Cycle
- Released
- August 19, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Yager Development
- Publisher(s)
- Yager Development
The Cycle was an excellent First-Person extraction shooter, with a fresh concept, good mechanics, and overall, great scenario designs. But it had two fundamental issues: Heavy on microtransactions, and even heavier on cheaters. But the players still enjoyed the game, and the devs had overall positive feedback from the users.
The game had been relaunched after a first unsuccessful early-access, and dubbed as The Cycle: Frontiers, but with the fraudulent players' problem persisting, the devs saw no other way but to shut down the game forever in September 2023. Another victim of the usual suspects, who seem to enjoy destroying the fun for everybody.
XDefiant
The Idea Was Attractive, But The Market Was Collapsed
XDefiant
- Released
- May 21, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft San Francisco
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
XDefiant was Ubisoft's attempt to dive into a market that was already collapsing with competitive arena games. This title, where players could pick characters from some of the most successful franchises from the Canadian publisher, had a fast-paced vibe, but a sluggish character progression/weapon unlock system.
Alas, the market had already shown signs of saturation, and even though XDefiant had shown really good numbers and a surprisingly strong headstart, it couldn't keep up the pace, and those numbers fell so suddenly that the few remaining players saw the shutdown coming. And it didn't take too long for the company to announce its axing, with servers closing permanently on June 3, 2025.
Paragon
Had Two Chances To Shine, And Still Fell
Paragon
- Released
- March 14, 2016
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Epic Games
Paragon was every MOBA fan's dream: Great mechanics, cool characters, incredible graphics, and brutal battles for supremacy in a small, yet well-designed arena. And even though the game was great, and the character designs were even greater, it had to compete against its parent company's flagship product: Fortnite.
So, with player numbers not lifting and a bleak future ahead, Epic Games decided it was not the time for Paragon to shine. But then, it had a second chance, as Paragon: The Overprime, yet another twist of fate , and the impossibility of making itself a space in an already packed niche, led to its second downfall.
Last Oasis
Another Great Game Destroyed By Hordes Of Cheaters
Last Oasis
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Partial Nudity, Use of Drugs, Violence
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Donkey Crew
- Genre(s)
- Survival, Open-World, RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
The rise and fall of Last Oasis is already a case study at game developer training schools and universities: A great game, with an even greater concept, and a huge, expansive world to explore, but poorly executed to the point of being overtaken by cheaters and exploiters, who mercilessly ruined it.
Its population loss was so abrupt that it befuddled even the developers. But there were solid reasons for its downfall: For starters, the cheaters and exploiters. The second was foul play from some of the biggest clans, who zerged little factions, forcing them to join or be repeatedly bullied until most of them joined a big zerg clan, or left for better, more balanced games.
H1Z1: Just Survive
The Game Was Great, But Its PvP Mode Was The Mother Of All Problems
Just Survive
- Released
- January 15, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Daybreak Game Company
- Publisher(s)
- Daybreak Game Company
H1Z1: Just Survive (born as only H1Z1) was an online Zombie survival-builder, with high doses of PvP, and a promising future. But at some point, its Battle Royale mode (which some say was the origin of all BR games currently going on) gained popularity, and the devs forgot the PvEvP mode existed.
And as soon as they could, they called the curtain fall over thousands of players enjoying the game, without giving them a chance to beg for its continuity. Sadly, Daybreak has no plans to bring it out of the box, but its legacy continues until today, both in the Zombie Survival and in the Battle Royale genres.
Mobius Final Fantasy
One Of The Finest Online FF Games
- Release Year: 2017
- Developer: Square Enix
- Time of Shutdown: June 30, 2020
MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY started as a mobile game, which quickly grew to nearly nine million users worldwide. Its Pc launch, through Steam, greatly contributed to making it one of the most popular spin-offs of the franchise.
But this sudden growth in popularity also meant it had to bring better results, and with its popularity slowly but steadily declining, it was evident that this beautiful game with deep storytelling was not meant to last long. And one day, Square Enix announced its closure, giving players a conclusion to the main story but leaving them yearning for more.
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