Due to a legal dispute, Life is Feudal: MMO disappeared from Steam over three years ago. Now, the medieval MMORPG is making a comeback, and there are numerous negative reviews and accusations of rip-offs. We are breaking down the recent events for you.
What happened? It became clear last year that Life is Feudal: MMO is set to return under new management. A few days ago, the medieval MMORPG made its comeback on Steam in the “free” early access version.
The reason we put “free” in quotes is because the EA version of Life is Feudal: MMO is only free to play at first glance. In reality, LTG wants to charge you a monthly fee. The developers explain this in their early access FAQ as follows:
During the early access phase, the game will be available through a subscription model: This allows us to continuously add new features and content based on your valuable feedback! Even if we adjust the prices for the full version, we assure you that they will not be higher than the current price. We will inform you in a timely manner about any changes.
The developers of LTG via Steam
How is the community reacting to the subscription model? Life is Feudal: MMO currently sits at just 27 percent positive reviews after its comeback. This translates to “mostly negative” overall. Many buyers of the original version are outraged that they now have to pay a monthly subscription despite having already purchased the game.
Engelskrieger writes, for example: “I bought the game back then for 120 Euros. I certainly won’t be paying monthly just to play it again. Rip-off times three.”
The technical state of the game is also heavily criticized, particularly regarding bugs, server stability, and performance. Moreover, despite the long hiatus, nothing has reportedly improved since the shutdown over three years ago.
The old announcement trailer of Life is Feudal – MMO:
What kind of game is Life is Feudal: MMO? The hardcore MMORPG throws you into a harsh, medieval world where realism is paramount, and you fight for survival. You can expect a sandbox where you can master trades, wage guild wars, and build entire settlements.
In addition to Life is Feudal: MMO, there are the two offshoots Life is Feudal: Forest Village (via Steam), a city simulation, and Life is Feudal: Your Own (via Steam). In the latter version, you can host your own servers to experience the hardcore sandbox gameplay with friends or strangers. Both games cost around 20 Euros each and generally have balanced reviews.
Why did Life is Feudal: MMO have to be shut down? The reason given by the responsible parties from the former developer Bitbox at the time was a legal dispute with the publisher that was supposed to distribute Life is Feudal: MMO. Since an agreement could not be reached, the studio received no more money, which ultimately led to the shutdown of the MMO version.
For more current news about the MMORPG genre, you can find it here: Great announcements, lively parties, a lot of drama – what a week for all MMORPG fans
