The shooter The Cycle: Frontier gives up. While the game initially experienced a hype, the developers ultimately struggled with too many problems they could not overcome. In autumn, the servers will finally be shut down.
- The Cycle is a science fiction shooter from the Berlin studio Yager, mixing PvE with PvP elements, and was available for free on Steam and the Epic Games Store since June 2022.
- The beta was well received, the shooter was a beacon of hope in the past dull shooter year, but disappointed after release.
- The game had two major influences in its development – Hunt: Showdown and Escape from Tarkov.
- The number of cheaters was already a major point of criticism last autumn. The developers wanted to tackle the problem intensively and “make cheating hell for cheaters.”
The endeavor has not aged well. In a message on Steam, the developers of The Cycle: Frontier reach out to the players. There they deliver “a difficult message with a heavy heart.”
The science fiction shooter is no longer financially viable; the servers will be shut down.
“The rising number of cheaters was the biggest challenge”
What led to the failure? Yager writes in the message that The Cycle: Frontier, despite the efforts and improvements that were integrated into the game until Season 3, is no longer financially viable.
The last beta, in particular, was received with enthusiasm and success. “Overall, things looked good for The Cycle: Frontier, even though we still had a long way to go,” Yager states.
They faced many challenges in a crucial phase of a live game. One of them may have been the most decisive one – the rising number of cheaters.
Yager brought in additional partners for anti-cheat measures, but too many players had already been affected. The Cycle: Frontier reported a massive decline in its player base.
The developers make a decision: “Therefore, we unfortunately have to announce that the server operation of The Cycle: Frontier will be stopped on September 27, 2023.”
What happens until then? In the message on Steam, the developers write that players who have The Cycle: Frontier in their library can install and play it until the server shut down.
Refunds will also be offered for all players who made an in-game purchase since June 14. Individual expansion packs will be removed from Steam and the Epic Games Store.
A multiplayer shooter faces a similar fate, had 50,000 players on Steam, shuts down servers – players say: “They changed the game completely.”
