Confirmation came by way of Kotaku yesterday that Carbine Studios and their most recent release, the 2014 MMORPG WildStar, are both being shut down. According to Kotaku’s source who was “briefed on the shutdown”, 50 staff members will soon be let go and a small team will manage the game until it is retired.
“Today, we are closing Carbine Studios and will begin the process of winding WildStar down to ultimately shutter the game,” publisher NCSoft told Kotaku. “WildStar players who have spent money within the game will be refunded purchases from July 1, 2018 until the payment system is shut off. We are also in the process of identifying the teams that will be doing the work to bring WildStar to a close. These decisions are very difficult to make and we are in the midst of shifting as many of our teammates as possible into other roles within the organization.”
WildStar went free-to-play in 2015 and is currently still available from NCSoft and on Steam, if anyone is looking to check it out before it’s gone. Until concrete details arrive I’m going to add the game to the Watch List calendar for a tentative December 31st deadline. I’ll update once NCSoft and Carbine release more info.