launch hasn’t gone as deliberate. Since its PC and PS5 launch over a week ago, the hero shooter has received a lukewarm reception at best, but also surprisingly underperformed in terms of sales and player numbers, debuting with less than 700 concurrent Steam players and reportedly selling only around 25,000 copies after a lengthy development cycle. Sony and developer Firewalk Studios are responding with a drastic trend.
The PlayStation Blog announced that by September 6, just two weeks after the game’s release, it will no longer only go dark completely online, but also cease to be available for purchase. Purchasers of the game who have already invested will likely receive full refunds, as Firewalk and Sony explore options to determine a potential path forward for the title.
“We want to express our gratitude to all our dedicated followers – we’ve been actively listening to your valuable feedback as we prepare for the launch of on PlayStation 5 and PC, and we’re thrilled to have you along for the ride aboard Northstar,” said sport director Ryan Ellis. “The unwavering support from you and the vibrant community that has emerged throughout the sports landscape has been an invaluable asset to us.”
“Notwithstanding the resonance with gamers of many aspects of our expertise, we also recognize that other features of the game and our initial rollout did not meet our expectations.” As a result of this, we will be discontinuing the game’s online features as of September 6, 2024, and exploring alternative options that better serve our players’ needs.
“While we determine the optimal course of action, all sales will cease immediately, and we will initiate a full refund process for all customers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC.”
It is unclear whether the game will return as a free-to-play title, but some industry insiders speculate that it may potentially adopt a free-to-play model in order to increase its reach and appeal. What’s to say that anything will come back at all? The unpredictability of this move is undeniable, yet it’s fair to state that this is an unprecedented transaction, one that will likely leave a lasting impact on the gaming industry and challenge PlayStation to keep pace in the years to come.
During our thorough assessment of this entity, we allocated a score of 6 out of 10, highlighting that
