Update:
The rumours were true and Rumbleverse is now an ex-live service game, or at least it will be on February 28 when it’s being shut down by Epic Games.
The good news is that everyone who has made a purchase since launch is eligible for a refund, which is very different to the way EA is handling the closure of Apex Legends Mobile.
In a blog post, developer Iron Galaxy also offered some hope that Rumbleverse could reappear in some form, although whether that means they’re trying to shop it around to other publishers isn’t clear.
Original story:
Iron Galaxy’s hybrid of battle royale and fighting game could be delisted today, followed by a complete shut down in February.
It’s easy to assume that unless it has Fortnite or Call Of Duty in the title, any new entry in the battle royale genre is doomed to fail. Or, at the very least, not make as much of an impact as its publisher would like.
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 spin-off, The First Soldier, was shut down just over a year after it launched, and we wouldn’t blame you for not realising it even came out.
Now, it’s said that the same fate is about to befall Rumbleverse. Except its situation is even sadder because it only launched last August.
Announced at the end of 2021, Rumbleverse is a unique take on the battle royale formula since it plays more like a fighting game, trading gunplay for good old fashioned fisticuffs.
Developed by Killer Instinct studio Iron Galaxy, and with Epic Games as the publisher, it certainly has some pedigree behind it, and could’ve served as a fun alternative to Fortnite.
However, if a recent rumour is to be believed, it seems Rumbleverse either hasn’t quite resonated with audiences or met whatever expectations Epic Games had for it.
Supposedly, the game will begin being delisted from storefronts later today, and will shut down completely at the end of February. Since it launched in August, that means Rumbleverse would’ve lasted only a paltry six months.
This doesn’t come from some random Reddit post either but insider Tom Henderson, who has regularly shared accurate behind the scenes information in the past.
Amidst the responses to Henderson’s claim are many players who are already mourning Rumbleverse’s closure, as well as those who are disappointed but unsurprised that it’s happening.
Quite a few refuse to believe Henderson’s claim but if he’s right, then we can likely expect official confirmation from Iron Galaxy and/or Epic Games soon, maybe even later today.
Some are hopeful that, if the rumour is true, Microsoft will enlist Iron Galaxy to make a new Killer Instinct. Although Double Helix Games was the original studio behind the 2013 reboot, Iron Galaxy took over development after the former was bought out by Amazon.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is a self-admitted fan of Killer Instinct and alluded to a new entry in 2021, although he said it would require ‘the right team and the right opportunity.’
Rumbleverse is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
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