Amazon may be one of the most successful companies ever, but one nut that it can’t seem to crack (yet) is gaming. According to an update on its official site, Relentless Studios has decided to discontinue the development of its free-to-play, team-based shooter, Crucible.
This shouldn’t be surprising to those who have been following the game. Over the summer, Crucible actually reverted from an open beta back to a closed one due to various complaints that ranged from lackluster gameplay to the absence of basic features (the game launched without voice chat). Despite a road map that promised improvements to combat, custom games, and matchmaking, the game never took off with players.
“We very much appreciate the way that our fans have rallied around our efforts, and we’ve loved seeing your responses to the changes we’ve made over the last few months, but ultimately we didn’t see a healthy, sustainable future ahead of Crucible,” the Crucible team wrote in its final news update.
The Crucible team will be transitioning over to Amazon’s upcoming open-world MMO, New World, which invites players to explore and colonize land in the 16th century. Crucible players will be receiving a full refund for any purchases made.