Nearly two years ago, the shooter “Hyper Scape” set out to offer a fast, exciting alternative in the competitive battle royale market. Twitch was also supposed to play a role in this. But now the game is facing extinction.
This is what Ubisoft says about Hyper Scape: On Ubisoft’s official website, the end of Hyper Scape is announced.
“We have made the difficult decision to end development on Hyper Scape and shut down the game as of April 28. We wanted to create a vertical, fast shooter experience in a confined space, and we are very grateful to our community for accompanying us on our journey. We will take the key learnings from this game into future products.
via Ubisoft.com
Following this, there are a few words of thanks to the community. However, an official reason for the end of Hyper Scape is missing in the statement.
However, the shooter had already faced some problems shortly after its release, which could never be entirely overcome.
What kind of game was Hyper Scape?
This was Twitch’s role: Hyper Scape suddenly appeared in the summer of 2020. Literally, instead of major announcements, the battle royale was presented directly by numerous streamers on Twitch. The launch caused quite a stir, and Hyper Scape reached six-figure viewer counts.
If you watched the streams there, you could also secure access through Twitch Drops to participate in a technical test. The early focus on Twitch was not by chance, as the streaming platform was also supposed to play a role in the game itself.
Through the “Crowncast” extension, the Twitch chat could directly participate in the action. Viewers could trigger events through votes, such as low gravity or revealing players on the map.
Additionally, you could be invited to play along by the streamers you were watching.
What was the problem? However, the integration of Twitch only works if a game is also streamed and followed a lot. Recently, Hyper Scape typically only reached double-digit viewer counts (via Twitch Metrics).
Moreover, the battle royale market was already quite saturated with games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Warzone, even at release.
This is how the gameplay went: Apart from the Twitch component, Hyper Scape relied on a futuristic look reminiscent of worlds like “Tron”. In the battle royale, players had to fight for victory while the playable zone continued to shrink.
Hyper Scape focused on speed. Big jumps, quick slides, and tons of abilities – called “Hacks” – transported players rapidly up, down, forward, and backward.
However, that wasn’t for everyone. Among others, streamer “Nadeshot” explained back then that he needed loads of energy drinks to keep up somehow. Also, MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn said back then: “I played the fast-paced shooter Hyper Scape and unfortunately, I’m too old for it.”
As early as October 2020, overhauls of the game were announced, which were meant to lower the entry barriers of the game.
According to Ubisoft, Hyper Scape had caused problems for players new to battle royale: It was “too difficult to aim, track, and consistently deal damage to other players and eliminate them, especially on consoles,” it was said back then.
Furthermore, players were supposed to have more to do, and progression systems for long-term motivation were introduced. Meanwhile, it is clear: It wasn’t enough for a turnaround. In April 2022, Hyper Scape will close its doors.
It is very possible that Hyper Scape will not be the last game to say goodbye in 2022. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch shows here which MMOs could still disappear this year: “I predict: These 6 MMOs will die in 2022.”
