Another Live-Service Game Is Shutting Down, With Dauntless Going Offline Soon

Dauntless, the free-to-play Monster Hunter-like from developer Phoenix Labs, will shut down Could 29.

In a brief and to-the-point assertion from the official Dauntless X account, it was made clear the sport wouldn’t be receiving any new content material or updates, and that the sport will probably be unplayable after Could 29.

“Due to all for being part of the Dauntless journey,” the assertion concludes.

Dauntless initially launched on PC through Epic Video games Retailer and consoles in 2019, and made a splash because of it being a extra approachable tackle the large monster-slaying gameplay and development present in Capcom’s Monster Hunter collection. It was additionally an early adopter of cross-progression and cross-play between platforms.

The shutdown comes two months after Dauntless launched on Steam to “overwhelmingly adverse” consumer evaluations, with many gamers criticizing the sport’s new monetization construction and the choice to wipe participant development as a part of its latest Awakening replace.

Information that Dauntless will quickly be unplayable comes just some weeks after it was introduced {that a} “majority” of builders at Phoenix Labs had been let go within the newest spherical of layoffs on the studio, with the studio having beforehand undergone layoffs in 2023 and 2024. Phoenix Labs was acquired by the blockchain firm Forte Labs in 2023.

“We acknowledge and deeply admire the contributions of each particular person impacted,” Phoenix Labs mentioned in an announcement saying the “unlucky however vital” layoffs. “Their expertise, dedication, and creativity have left an indelible mark on our firm and our video games.”

Phoenix Labs has not but mentioned what is going to occur to Fae Farm, its farming sim launched 2023. In its assertion about studio layoffs, Phoenix Labs mentioned it could share extra about the way forward for Fae Farm “within the coming weeks.”