Yet Another Live Service Game Is Shutting Down After Just One Year | Push Square
Free-to-play, Overwatch-esque multiplayer shooter Gundam Evolution will be shutting down just one year after its PS5 and PS4 launch, Bandai Namco has confirmed. The live service title, which sees two teams of iconic Gundam suits blast each other to bits, released on consoles back on the 30th November 2022 — and it'll no longer be playable from the 29th November 2023.
Gundam Evolution was fairly well received at first, boasting some neat gameplay gimmicks and a clear appreciation for the source material. However, its free-to-play model was met with criticism once new mechs were introduced. One of the main complaints was that it simply took far too long to unlock fresh suits, pushing players towards expensive in-game purchases. Matchmaking issues and a perceived lack of character balance certainly didn't help.
«We want to express our gratitude to everyone who has played the game and supported us to this point. At the same time, we would like to sincerely apologize to our fans and players,» writes developer Bandai Namco Online. There will be a handful of updates in the coming months, but again, the whole thing is going offline in November.
Clearly the title has struggled to maintain a healthy community, resulting in yet another story of live service failure. We're very much at a point now where if a project doesn't seriously catch on while it's in its relative infancy, it getting shut down starts to feel like an inevitability — it just becomes a question of when. And if a property like Gundam can't tempt its hardcore audience back, well...
Did you ever play Gundam Evolution? Did you see this coming? Feel free to make jokes about the One Year War in the comments section below.
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