Ascend: Hand of Kul, a free-to-play action RPG on Xbox 360 that released about a year ago on September 25, 2013, has been pulled from the Xbox Live Marketplace according to an official post on PlayXBLA.
Players can still access the game on their console, but it is no longer available in the Marketplace and all Soul purchases have been disabled. While Ascend: Hand of Kul will still remain on Steam as a free Beta download, Signal Studios is clearly disappointed by Microsoft's decision in a statement:
Signal Studios must regretfully announce that despite our best efforts and the games success, Microsoft has discontinued support for Ascend: Hand of Kul on the Xbox 360 and removed the game from the Xbox Live Marketplace. This surfaced to us while investigating various issues players have been experiencing over the weekend.We are deeply saddened by this decision and the impact it has on our community. While Microsoft discontinued support for the Xbox 360 version of Ascend, Signal has released a free BETA version of the game on Steam with a wealth of gameplay improvements where the community can still enjoy slaying trolls and converting altars.
In appreciation of our fans, Signal Studios will grant all new Ascend PC players a starting bonus of souls totaling 25K which can be used to purchase gear, spells and buffs. All existing Ascend PC players will receive a 10K soul bonus just for playing.
Despite this setback, Signal Studios is moving forward with Toy Soldiers: War Chest on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
