It is sad when a game with so much love behind it announces that it will be shutting down servers. Deathgarden was a game full of promise from the moment it launched on Steam Early Access last year. It was a weird lethal hide-and-seek challenge that many reviewers described as exciting, exhilarating, and evolving.
Sadly, all the love in the world from the developers can not make up the difference between a lack of community. According to Steam Charts, the game could not find an audience. With the relaunch in May of this year, the game evolved into an even more intense and awesome title: Deathgarden: Bloodharvest. Players started to gain interest, but after a few months of activity, the player count dropped back down to double-digits.
Behaviour Digital put a ton of work and love into this project. They went through several rebuild scenarios and searched for any possible solution but eventually decided that nothing would change the fate of this project. They formally announced that they will be halting all development on this project.
“Two years ago, a handful of passionate game developers at Behaviour got together to develop a new game concept. This paved the way for great talents to join the team, and we want to acknowledge the work of every single person who took part in this soulful adventure. Deathgarden was, and still is today, a project of passion. A game that we wanted to make for ourselves, but also for players around the world to enjoy,” wrote the studio on the official announcement.
On the positive side, the game will be free to play, and the servers will be kept online until the end of the year. As long as matchmaking is viable, the game will continue to function. Players can also get a copy of the soundtrack and lore book for free. All in-game cosmetics have been reduced in price to 1 Blood, although the Terminator Set DLC will be at a normal price due to its licensing deal.
Behaviour Digital will be finalizing every feature that was still in development to try and give the game a meaningful last breath. There will be one more event scheduled, and fans will have a final chance to enjoy the game before it goes offline.
A “Play With the Devs” live stream will be held at 3 pm ET on December 12 on Twitch. This is a chance for players to play with the developers of the game and gain some extra insight into its design. If you purchased the game within the last month and have played fewer then six hours, you are eligible for a refund through Steam.
This game is able to be played on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Make sure to download and give it a try before the servers are disabled forever.
