Duelyst (PC) seemed to be such an interesting representative of online card games and looked like a strong competitor to Hearthstone. But now the Duelyst servers on Steam are closing for good.
What is Duelyst? The online game aimed to try a slightly different approach in the genre of online card games like Hearthstone. On a game board, you see your units summoned by cards and then fight with them turn by turn, while you buff them with additional cards.
Thus, Duelyst represents a mix of turn-based strategy and card gaming.
Good Steam Reviews, But Few Players
How did the game fare? Duelyst was partially funded through crowdfunding. In 2015 it entered an open beta as free-to-play and had its release on Steam in April 2016.
When Duelyst launched, it received a lot of praise for its interesting gameplay. It brought fresh air into the genre with its mix of strategy and cards, as seen in Magic: The Gathering.
Moreover, there was more to see than in regular online card games. After all, the units moved on the game board and fought each other. The overall rating of the game on Steam is at 81 percent, making it very positive.
Over the years, 6 expansions were released for the game, the last one in November.
However, Duelyst was never truly successful. According to Steamcharts, the player count at launch in the summer of 2016 peaked at 2,344. It has since dropped to 99.
What happens now? The developers announced that they will shut down Duelyst on February 27. The team is sad to have to take this step.
It is never easy to say goodbye to a game, and it is always hardest when you love the game as much as we all love Duelyst. We are incredibly proud of the efforts our developers have made over the years in Duelyst, and even prouder of the amazing community of friends and players who have enjoyed Duelyst. We want to thank everyone for being a part of the Duelyst family.
Duelyst Team
The End is Near
What will happen to the in-game currency? From now on, it is no longer possible to purchase diamonds. Anyone who recently acquired some can request a refund. However, it is also possible to spend the diamonds in-game as long as it is still running. The costs for orbs you can buy with diamonds have been significantly reduced.
What do the players think about the end of Duelyst? Fans express disappointment, as they actually quite liked the card game.
- Oberic says on Steam: “They are shutting down the servers on February 27, 2020. The game was good for a long time, then Bandai Namco bought the developers and we didn’t get any more updates.”
- Architect writes: “It was a lot of fun while it lasted. RIP Duelyst.”
- Oil Inc. states: “It was a great run from the start, and I wish it could have lasted longer.”
Did you play Duelyst? Are you also sad that the game will soon be shut down? Or are you simply switching to other games like Legends of Runeterra?
