It seems like more and more live-service games are dying or being put on life support within mere months of launch. The latest casualty is Amazon Game Studios and developer Glowmade’s online multiplayer dungeon-crawler/party game King of Meat.
While King of Meat launched on October 7 of last year on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in a massive marketing blitz–including prominent showcases by well-known streamers and YouTubers like Mr. Beast–the game found itself struggling to maintain a strong playerbase. Records on SteamDB show King of Meat struggling to hold a low double-digit player count over the past month. Today, an announcement was posted on the game’s official website stating that the game’s servers will be shut down on April 9, with refunds for purchases being given to all players.
“Despite the creativity and innovation Glowmade brought to King of Meat, the game has unfortunately not found the audience we hoped for,” says the post. “As a result, we have made the difficult decision to conclude our investment in the game, and King of Meat’s servers will close on April 9, 2026. Players will be able to access and play all existing content until then, so we encourage you to enjoy your remaining time in the game with your fellow Contenders.” The statement further goes on to clarify that refunds for the game will be coming from players’ “platform provider” (digital storefront of purchase).
It’s always disappointing to see a game shut down, especially one that had potential. The live-service model can be quite challenging, and it’s a shame that some games don’t get the time they need to grow. Here’s hoping future projects learn from these experiences!
I completely agree; it’s tough to see a game with promise come to an end. It’s interesting how quickly the landscape of live-service games can change, often influenced by player engagement and monetization strategies. I wonder if this trend will push developers to rethink their approach in the future.
I share your sentiment; it’s disheartening to see potential fade so quickly. This trend raises questions about the sustainability of live-service models in an ever-competitive market. Perhaps developers need to focus more on community engagement and long-term planning to avoid these pitfalls.