HEX: Shards of Fate (aka HEX: Card Clash) sought to shake things up in the digital CCG realm when it launched on Kickstarter back in 2013 . But it didn’t take long for the game’s growing popularity to catch the eye of Wizards of the Coast. Before HEX was even released WotC had filed a lawsuit on grounds of “copyright, patent and trade dress infringement” which resulted in a 2015 settlement of undisclosed terms. While the details have been kept secret it is believed that part of the settlement required Hex Entertainment to pay Wizards of the Coast some form of a licensing fee in order to continue operating. Based on their wording it also appears that part of the settlement required the game to be shut down by the end of 2020.
“The HEX team has put every ounce of our beings into crafting and supporting this truly special game,” reads the announcement posted on October 1st, “but we are required to close HEX: Shards of Fate on December 31, 2020″.
Beyond the terms of the settlement, Hex Entertainment likely incurred unanticipated legal expenses on top of operating costs for the game that resulted in slower-than-expected development and support. It has also been reported that Wizards of the Coast forced changes to HEX’s gameplay that likely didn’t sit well with fans. All of this combined has seemingly resulted in the game’s “mixed” reception on Steam and underwhelming player counts, but HEX isn’t going out without its due share of celebration:
“HEX has been our dream for over a decade. As a community, your passion and support helped us realize parts of that dream for over 5 years. For this, we are incredibly grateful. Your support all these years allowed us to create the kind of card game the team has always wanted to play and to bring the world of Entrath to life. We will always remember this time we were able to enjoy HEX. For these last few months, we want to do something special for those of you who continue to play and appreciate HEX.”
You can read more about the Sunset Blowout event leading up to the game’s closure on December 31st and you can still try the game for yourself on Steam and on PlayStation 4. Do take note that finding the PS4 version on the web has proven difficult. I ultimately had to use the PlayStation mobile app but was able to download and launch the game after that. Thanks to FallenRyan for the heads-up, I’ve added the date to the Watch List calendar and will have a page up on the site soon.