‘Evil Dead: The Game’ is being shut down after three years

A video game adaptation of iconic horror Evil Dead is being shut down less than three years after it was released.

Sam Rami’s iconic Evil Dead franchise was kickstarted by the 1981 original and spawned a number of movies, comic books, a television series and even a musical. A number of Evil Dead video games have also been released over the years, including 2022’s celebrated Evil Dead: The Game.

“Step into the shoes of Ash Williams or his friends from the iconic Evil Dead franchise in a game loaded with over-the-top co-op & PVP multiplayer action,” reads the official description. “Play as a team of four survivors, exploring, looting, managing your fear, and finding key items to seal the breach between worlds in a game inspired by all three original Evil Dead films as well as the STARZ original Ash vs Evil Dead television series.”

A number of expansions were released for Evil Dead: The Game but earlier this week, the game started disappearing from digital stores. “We can confirm we’ve begun the process of removing the game from digital storefronts. Anyone who has purchased the game will still be able to play it as we plan to keep our servers online for everyone,” developers explained in a very brief announcement. “We want to extend a sincere thank you to our community, to those who have been part of the game from the very beginning, and those who have recently joined us. We appreciate all of your support.”

No reason for the shut down has been given, though some fans have speculated that it’s due to licensing issues as the game approaches its third anniversary.

“It’s crazy how there are hundreds of fully online games that have been running since the early 2000s and have like 20 players per day, and they’re still up. But now everything that does not do a Fortnite level of success gets removed from existence after a few years,” wrote one fan. “The decline of dedicated servers has made buying online games less appealing than ever. When they decide to turn the game off, you’re shit out of luck,” added another. “I wish this game would be remade but without an expensive IP. One of the best 4v1 horror games around,” wrote a third.

Earlier this year it was announced that the free-to-play squad shooter Star Wars: Hunters was being shut down less than a year after it launched. 

In other news, Microsoft has confirmed Xbox Series X/S consoles, first-party games and accessories will all become more expensive – and fans are furious about these “laughable” price hikes.

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