The medieval MMO Life is Feudal is closing. The reason for this is a lawsuit that cannot be pursued due to a lack of financial resources. The survival game was supposed to make a fresh start in 2020 and planned another update for the combat system.
What kind of game is this? Life is Feudal is a medieval MMO that focuses on the sandbox aspect. Your task is to survive in the harsh world. To do this, you gather resources, craft tools and weapons, can build structures, and attack other players in PvP.
LiF places a lot of importance on high difficulty and realism. It was released on January 18 in Early Access on Steam and switched to Free2Play in 2019.
Why is it closing now? The developers explained that there is a lawsuit with a publisher that was newly established in 2016 and was supposed to distribute the MMO as Life is Feudal.
This company, however, is said to have done a poor job, which is why the developers of Bitbox then marketed themselves. There seems to have still been a contract with the publisher. This company is said to have offered a new deal in 2020.
After the developers rejected this, the publisher is said to have refused to share their revenue from Life is Feudal. The financial pressure is said to have now led to the game’s shutdown.
When is Life is Feudal closing? The servers will close on January 18, 2021. However, only the MMO is affected by the changes. The standalone version – Life is Feudal: Your Own – will remain.
Are there refunds? All items purchased since November 1, including currency for real money or the premium account, will be refunded by the developers via Xsolla.
In the FAQ regarding the shutdown, the developers also explained that there will still be an update.
One last update and rule changes
What else is happening with Life is Feudal? The developers originally planned a larger update that would significantly overhaul the combat system. Adjustments to armor, weapons, and mounts were planned.
This update is now supposed to be released in an unfinished version so that players can have a modified gaming experience one last time. Only the planned server wipe with the update will not happen.
Rule changes: Additionally, the developers allow breaking rules during the last weeks in the game. Those who wish can use movable objects to gain access to enemy fortifications.
Until the shutdown, players should still have a lot of fun with the MMO.
2020 was supposed to be a fresh start
Why does the end come as a surprise? For the year 2020, the developers of Life is Feudal had a lot planned. On April 17, the Godenland update was released, which came with some adjustments, including:
- A revision of the rules in the world. These were intended to be fairer
- Fights received an overhaul
- The skill cap was raised
- The controls were reworked
Additionally, the new language Turkish was added, which was supposed to reach a whole new audience. Classic MMOs with a lot of PvP are very popular in Turkey.
The second major update was supposed to bring additional features.
Temporary upturn: The Godenland update actually brought some players back. In April, there were 2,941 players online simultaneously – the highest number since March 2019.
However, the upturn was only short-lived. November 2020 was the worst month since the release of the game. Anyone who wants to take another look at the game before shutdown can do so on Steam. It is free to play.
If you prefer to try another MMO, you can find a selection of games on Steam here:
These 10 MMOs had the most players on Steam in December 2020 – Are you playing them?
