The quirky space shooter Boundary on Steam is coming to an end. After selling 100,000 copies, the operation will cease.
After just one year, Boundary has reached its limits. The initially promising space shooter is shutting down in a few days. Developers and publishers are blaming each other for why this step is necessary. The ones affected are primarily the fans who purchased the early access title in hope of something special being developed.
What kind of game is Boundary? The main selling point of Boundary was the tactical combat in zero gravity. As an “Astroperator,” you don a space suit and wield heavy weapons to complete missions in team vs. team battles and show the enemy astronauts which side the shotgun is pointed at.
In zero gravity, enemies can come from all directions and attack from any angle. At the same time, weapons affect your movement – the considerable kickback of a shotgun can even send you a few meters flying in space. But you can see for yourself in the trailer how it looked:
What was the problem? After its launch in April 2024, Boundary achieved relatively high player numbers. At its peak, 15,000 players were floating in zero gravity, while an average of at least 2,400 people drifted through space. On the first day, 100,000 copies of Boundary were sold. Quite a success, indeed.
This success, however, did not last long. By May, the numbers had plummeted dramatically, and by November, there were on average only 4 players active in Boundary at the same time – with a monthly peak of 17 players (via steamcharts.com). Far too few to really hold matches or experience variety.
Meanwhile, the publisher and developer have gotten into an argument. It’s not easy to determine who is telling the truth here.
The developer claims that the publisher owes them money, while the publisher says that the developer did not provide updates for the game and that is why it has failed (via pcgamer.com).
How were the ratings for Boundary? Generally, Boundary received relatively good ratings after its launch in April 2023 – nearly 70% were positive. However, most of the reviews were also created in the first weeks after the game’s launch.
Now, since the announcement of the game’s “death,” negative reviews are pouring in. Frustrated fans are apparently venting their anger and complaining that the game had to die. This is typical “review bombing,” which usually occurs with the demise of a game. Most of these ratings likely come from people who haven’t played in the last few weeks, as in the past month of May, Boundary had an average of only 5 players online – and that’s already rounded up. At least you can now confidently remove the game from your Pile of Shame.
What is clear is that Boundary will cease operations at the end of June. Disappointing for everyone who paid around €25 for the game in the hope that it could become a great shooter, which sadly lost momentum right after launch. But that’s how it is in space.
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