Yager, developer of G.I. Ops: The Line and several free-to-play online games, is shutting down its latest project – Loop: Frontier. Frontier is a spin-off of The Cycle, a beloved game with a limited fan base but ultimately not financially viable.
The original game was a co-op PvE shooter, but Frontier was one of the first games to adapt the escape shooter genre to a sci-fi setting. PvEvP Frontier had a decently active audience when it launched last June, but the hype has since died down. Unfortunately, Frontier will suffer the same fate as its predecessor, also because it simply isn’t making enough money to be sustainable.
Yager broke the news in a Steam post, confirming that September 27, 2023 is the last day the servers will go live, just over a year after launch.
“Despite our best efforts and meaningful improvements to the game since launch and leading up to the release of Season 3, the sad reality is that The Cycle: Frontier is not economically viable,” the developer wrote. Impossible.”
“It was a very difficult decision for us, but after a long period of debate we had to accept that this was the best course of action for Jager.”
In a blog post, the developer reflects on the game’s journey, from pre-launch testing to its anticipated release, which exceeded the studio’s expectations and forced it to upgrade its backend to support the influx of new players.
Unfortunately, this success has also attracted a lot of cheaters, which is a big problem for developers and players alike. Although we tried to improve Frontier’s anti-fraud technology as soon as possible, including bringing in more partners, it was too late.
All that time is spent improving and developing new content, which doesn’t help retain players. After the second season launched, the developer reassessed the game’s status quo versus its original vision and made some key changes that seemed to appeal to both lost players and new ones — but it wasn’t enough.
Yager is suspending purchases of real money and removing wallets from the store. Rotating in-game items will be available at over 95% off, and all players who log in for free will receive a premium version of the Season 3 Battle Pass. Anyone who makes a real money purchase after June 14th will receive a full refund.
The Cycle: Frontier is just the latest in a string of online/live service games that have recently shut down. Babylon’s Fall, CrossfireX, Knockout City, Deathverse: Let It Die, Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, Rumbleverse, Apex Legends Mobile, Super People 2 are all available line, or will be offline by the end of 2023
