End of Dauntless after mass layoffs. Fans of monster-hunting game blame „crypto” and „capitalists”

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Unfortunately, Dauntless was not spared during the recent layoffs at Phoenix Labs studio, leading to its eventual conclusion. The creators have declared that as of May 29, 2025, the game servers will cease operation and no fresh content will be added.

2019 saw the debut of a game, developed initially by professionals formerly employed at Riot Games and BioWare studios. This free-to-play Action Role-Playing Game (RPG) garnered considerable success despite its release on Steam not until December 2024.

Regrettably, by that point, Dauntless had lost a significant number of its players due to changes in the game. The patch released at the time was particularly unpopular because the developers made numerous modifications to the game, which generally worsened the experience rather than improved it. A common complaint was that most of these adjustments appeared to be geared towards promoting or even forcing microtransactions.

The reaction from the fans is clearly shown in the highly critical reviews about Steam users. A former team member, who had a short but intense tenure, expressed shock following the December update, asserting that the gameplay of Dauntless was severely weakened and not suited to players (on LinkedIn).

Wealthy founders and cryptocurrencies

Online users openly express their opinions, primarily pointing fingers at Garena and Forte as the main parties responsible. Garena acquired Phoenix Labs team in 2020, but it’s worth noting that only three years later, the studio was sold to Forte (a company specializing in cryptocurrencies) for a much lower price with minimal fanfare. Notably, during this time period, Dauntless has not seen any significant updates.

According to a former employee of PL, the issues within the company were not only present among the team members but also extended to the founders of Phoenix Labs. After their initial transaction, they extravagantly spent money, including purchasing a Porsche, without making significant progress. Subsequently, more details about the team’s struggles emerged, such as the demands from Forte Company for incorporating blockchain technology into Dauntless and the shelving of Project Dragon, as reported by the Game Developer website.

As a result of the layoffs that occurred in January 2025 (which were preceded by a smaller “restructuring” in May 2024), most developers found themselves unemployed. This development left fans anticipating negative outcomes, but the players are still devastated by this choice. Numerous posts on social media express disapproval towards “crypto” and “capitalists,” who seemed to prioritize profits over the game’s potential success.

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2025-02-26 03:02