Battleborn, ironically a game all about a group of warriors trying to stop the end of their universe, is about to end. According to an official announcement on the game’s social media pages, the game is leaving digital storefronts as of today. Current players will no longer be able to buy digital currency starting on February 24, 2020. The game will remain playable for current owners until January 2021, which is when the Battleborn servers will be taken offline.
In an FAQ released alongside the update, 2K confirmed that no aspect of Battleborn will remain playable after the cutoff date, including the game’s single-player content and bot matches. This is a step beyond what the publisher did for similarly failed multiplayer game Evolve, which is still playable in bot matches and a LAN setting to this day on PC.
[2/3] The game’s servers will remain active and the game will continue to be playable until January 2021. However, once servers are deactivated, Battleborn will no longer be playable. To learn more, please refer to this detailed FAQ: https://t.co/wos2fH2xhv
— Battleborn (@Battleborn) November 25, 2019
ALSO: Battleborn Will Get No More Updates After the Fall Patch
Battleborn was Gearbox Software’s step away from Borderlands this generation, a hybrid of MOBA and hero shooter elements that just couldn’t step out of the shadow of bigger names in either genre. The game originally released for a premium price point before quickly dropping on console and PC. The game eventually went free, although Randy Pitchford continued to insist that it was a trial rather than a full free-to-play rollout.
The Battleborn Twitter account ended its thread with a message thanking fans for their support in the title and promising updates on the sunset procedure as it rolls out. There’s no word on what physical owners of Battleborn on consoles can expect, although it wouldn’t be the first disc-based game this generation to go completely offline years after it’s initial release.
Battleborn released on May 3, 2016, just mere weeks before Overwatch. While the two games had their differences, both were compared because of their art styles and online multiplayer focus.
