It’s a sad fact in video gaming that not every title that’s released is going to be a hit. Or even somewhat of a hit. Sometimes, it’s very hard to predict how well a game will sell, as there are a lot of factors that goes into not just the design of the game, but the marketing, and how players will respond. What might work for one developer in their game won’t work for another. Epic Games is going through this struggle right now, for while their game Fortnite is doing legendarily well, their other title, Paragon, is not.
For those who don’t know, Paragon is a free-to-play MOBA title Epic Games released a while ago. It blends high action with card-based collection and tons of characters to play as. However, despite all they’ve done, it wasn’t enough, and in a statement on their site, they revealed they’re shutting it down:
“After careful consideration, and many difficult internal debates, we feel there isn’t a clear path for us to grow Paragon into a MOBA that retains enough players to be sustainable.We didn’t execute well enough to deliver on the promise of Paragon. We have failed you — despite the team’s incredibly hard work — and we’re sorry.”
Ironically, this comes not long after they made a statement saying that they would continue trying to make Paragon a success, just goes to show how a little time can change one’s mind.
So, what happens now? Well, the game won’t shut down immediately, they’re going to slowly wind it down, leading it to an April 26th, 2018 shutdown. What’s more, if you have played Paragon and made an in-game purchase, you are eligible for a full refund of that purpose.
While it’s sad to see it go, they do have Fortnite, which continues to grow and expand in its player base. So at least that’s something.
