My favorite game is dead
The year has only begun and news has spread of multiple games like Apex Legends Mobile, CrossfireX, and Battlefield Mobile shutting down, leaving players shocked and gutted. As one of these players, I couldn’t be more disappointed by the news and I’m so disheartened to know that some of my favorite games are now dead, or at least going to be in the future.
From cost, product, and development issues to player base loss and even some companies like EA announcing that they’re pivoting toward new areas, millions of players have been impacted by the recent cancellations. For someone that’s sorely enjoyed playing Apex Legends Mobile and even reviewed it last year, I’m sad that the game will leave in May 2023. That said, these are only a few of the titles that will, unfortunately, depart this year. Let’s take a look at some of the games that’ll no longer be around in 2023.
Babylon's Fall
For most, Babylon's Fall's plunge into the abyss isn’t a surprise. The game didn’t do very well on PlayStation 5 and a lot of people complained about the performance and quality of Babylon's Fall, especially for a title that cost $60. Because of it, the developers decided last year, not even after a year of its release, to completely shut down operations at the end of February 2023, including data deletion and servers going down forever.
CrossfireX
Although CrossfireX was a decent free-to-play FPS and many players enjoyed the game, it’ll also be leaving in 2023. In a blog, the development team announced its plans to shut down the game. Despite there not being any concrete reason/s why it’ll be taken offline, it’s safe to say it didn’t perform as the team expected.
Spellbreak
Spellbreak has to be one of my all-time favorite battle royale games in history. I was an early tester and played all the way until release and really enjoyed the game. Unfortunately, Spellbreak won’t be around for much longer. The development team behind Spellbreak announced ages ago that the game would be leaving—and in early 2023 it’ll cease to be.
The company behind Spellbreak, Proletariat, Inc., was recently acquired by Blizzard Entertainment with the hint that it would work on another game. However, as for Spellbreak, the free-to-play simply wasn’t sustainable enough to last and will shut down this year.
Knockout City
It’s sad to see Knockout City go, but the game will officially go offline on June 6, 2023. The free-to-play team-based multiplayer dodgeball game will no longer be around, but the last season is currently ongoing. Players can still relish what’s left of Knockout City before it goes out of town, though.
Now, these are only a few of the recent games that’ll no longer be around in 2023. The list goes on with some mentionable titles shutting down this year like Rumbleverse, Hellfire Tactics, Deathverse: Let It Die, and Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights.
In saying so, these cancellations are among thousands that have happened in the last decade, so with millions of players coming to terms with this saddening news, let’s walk down memory lane and recall some other great games that have shut down in the past too.
City of Heroes
City of Heroes was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSOFT, and released in 2004. The game featured super-powered characters that players could use to complete missions and fight criminals and organizations in the fictional Paragon City. City of Heroes was unfortunately closed down in November 2012.
Heroes of Newerth
I remember playing Heroes of Newerth like it was yesterday. Back then, League of Legends and Dota 2 weren’t as amazing or as massive as they are now. But you know what was? Heroes of Newerth, especially in Asia. The free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena lasted a decade but sadly died in June 2022 because it didn’t have enough players to keep it going.
Tera
Growing up, I was too broke to play World of Warcraft, so Tera was the next best thing. I loved Tera and really enjoyed playing it. I used to spend hundreds of hours grinding mobs and gathering resources in Tera. That said, the game sadly shut down in June 2022 because the development team wanted to move on to new and bigger things.
In the end, there are so many games that are going to shut down in 2023 and thousands more that already have. It’s always sad to see some of my favorite games go. For whatever reason it may be, it’s not easy for me to part with titles that I’ve spent years and years playing. To see them shut down is to see a part of me crumble and die as well. For now, the best that I can do, and that others can too, is to say goodbye and move on to another game.
Mentioned games
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