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Mech hay while the sun shines.
A little under a year since its debut, Bandai Namco Online’s Gundam Evolution has been announced as shutting down.
A free-to-play hero shooter set in the world of the popular anime, Gundam Evolution arrived on Steam last September, with a console version then following in December.
However, Gundam Evolution evidently hasn’t taken off in the way the developer had hoped, with Bandai Namco Online now announcing its service will end on 29th November.
“It is with great sadness that we are announcing the conclusion of Gundam Evolution,” executive producer Kazuya Maruyama wrote in a blog update.
“We wanted to create a title that brought FPS fans and Gundam fans together. We challenged ourselves to create an authentic Gundam FPS game that could be played globally. Unfortunately, we have determined that it is no longer possible for us to provide a service that satisfies our players.”
While not specifically stated, low player numbers are also likely a factor in this decision.
At the time of writing, the game only has 292 players, with a 24-hour peak of 688 players. These figures are far below what the game debuted with.
Gundam Evolution had an all-time player peak of 56,911, but this is listed as 10 months ago, around the time of its launch.
Maruyama expressed gratitude to those who had supported the game since its inception, and said that updates would still continue to roll out with season six.
The final season will then go live on 25th October, bringing a new unit and map with it.
“We will do our best to ensure that our players can enjoy Gundam Evolution to the fullest till the very end,” Maruyama said.
For those customers still playing Gundam Evolution, sales and purchases of EVO Coins will end on 26th July. Any coins that players own will remain usable until the end of service, however the developer will not be providing any refunds for previously purchased coins.
The Gundam Evolution team has promised further details during its Mission Briefing Final, which is scheduled for tomorrow, 21st July.
