Out of Time, the MMO roguelike from Manticore Games, has been closed down by its developers, just over six months after it released on Steam, and less than a year after its initial launch on Epic.
The game’s ignominious end comes after the online-only co-op roguelike struggled to build a player base and thus earn the revenue it needed to stay alive. With no proper solo experience to speak of, the game has been delisted on Steam and Epic.
Heading to the game’s Steam page reveals mixed-to-negative reviews, many of which relate to the way it closed down. There also seems to have been discontent among players regarding the final major patch, the Cyberspace Update, which dropped back in March.
Here’s the statement shared by Manticore Games last month:
We had big ambitions for Out of Time; a fractured world where the past, present, and future collide, where squads play together, fight against the tangle, and experiment with unique builds.
Unfortunately, Out of Time did not find the commercial success needed for us to continue supporting it in the way it deserves.
To everyone who jumped in, joined a squad, gave feedback, and spent time in Infinitopia, thank you. You helped bring Out of Time to life!
For all its troubles now, there had been investment in the game in the past, with press events arranged to introduce us to the concept, followed by a six-month exclusivity period on the Epic Games Store. In fact, Epic also helped fund Manticore, and the studio’s debut has a distinctly Fortnite feel.
For what it’s worth, I quite enjoyed it. The gear focus gave it a distinct vibe, and I could definitely see what they were trying to do.
On the other hand, it was only when Out of Time was released on Steam that the devs revealed the use of gen-AI when creating audio for the characters, and that was disappointing to discover.
However, more disappointing is the fact that Manticore has given up on the game less than a year after release, and for the sake of Out of Time’s player base, more could and should have been done to ensure long-term playability.
With game preservation a hot topic right now, it’s sad to see a title that clearly had backing being taken down with no provision for offline play (I tried, the game simply fails to load). Once again, it doesn’t feel like it was done for the players…
