After 5 years, a dead cult-favorite multiplayer shooter gets revived for one weekend, and I can't tell if this is game preservation heaven or hell

gamesradar.com:

Five years after it was put in the grave, the free-to-play hero shooter Gigantic is back for one weekend only, and while the game's fans are thrilled to have even a brief opportunity to play it once again I can't help but wonder if this is a new circle of game preservation hell.

For most of the gaming world, Gigantic kind of came and went. It ran through various alphas and betas starting in 2014 before its proper launch across PC and Xbox in 2017. Within four months of the game's 1.0 launch, developer Motiga was shut down, and Gigantic itself was taken offline in July 2018.

While Gigantic clearly wasn't able to draw in a large enough playerbase to keep it going, its blend of Overwatch-style hero mechanics and MOBA-inspired game modes made it a favorite among the group of players it did manage capture. Now all of those players are getting to have a bit of A Moment.

Earlier this week, former Gigantic players started to receive emails inviting them to play Gigantic once more in a "limited time throwback event" from October 5 through October 7. Much rejoicing ensued, and at this point you might mistake the Gigantic subreddit for a discussion forum on an actively-supported modern game by all the activity this weekend has stirred up.

This comeback has apparently been orchestrated by Gearbox - yes, Gearbox of Borderlands (and Battleborn) fame. The all-encompassing grasp of the Embracer Group has, well, embraced both Gigantic publisher Perfect World Entertainment and Gearbox, and now the latter is for some reason bringing back a cult classic for a single weekend.

While fans are hopeful that this weekend is the testbed for a bigger Gigantic comeback, Gearbox has been trying to keep expectations in check. In a statement to our