 | Digital Release: | PlayStation 4 April 11, 2017 (US) April 12, 2017 (AU, EU) June 29, 2017 (JP) |
| Delisting: | July 25, 2019 | |
| Developer: | WhiteMoon Dreams | |
| Publisher: | Sony | |
| Available On: | Retail: PlayStation 4 (unplayable after 07/25/19) |
|
| Links: | StarBlood Arena homepage PlayStation.com page |
Delisting
On January 26th, 2019 Sony Europe updated their Decommissioned Servers page to announce that “multiplayer and all online features” for StarBlood Arena would be discontinued on July 25th, 2019. The announcement also pointed out that as the game required a connection to the game servers, the entire title would become unplayable on the same date.
When developer Whitemoon Dreams received word from Sony in January 2019 that the game’s servers were going to be shut down, CEO Jay Koottarappallil took to the r/PSVR subreddit to announce the news directly to the community:
“Sony called earlier to let me know that they were shutting down servers. The call was something along the lines of “This is always a very hard time, but its time to shut down the servers”. There wasn’t a whole lot of detail past that and there was no option for us to support servers ourselves, much less make any new releases. At the very least, we would have liked to have the option to pay for servers ourselves. Overall, I wish we controlled the IP that we created with SBA, because there’s so much more of this we want you all to see; but we’re not big and powerful enough yet to be able to command that.”
– Jay Koottarappallil, CEO WhiteMoon Dreams
StarBlood Arena was then removed from sale on PlayStation 4 between January and March of 2019. PlayStation Plus subscribers who claimed it when it was added to the Instant Game Collection in 2018 could still find it in their Download List. The game remains available on physical media, though it too became unplayable after July 25th.
As explained by Koottarappallil himself, the game was ultimately shut down due to lack of active players among the already-small PlayStation VR base.
About the Game
“Test your mettle in furious arena combat as you move, evade, and attack in any direction against pilots from every corner of the galaxy. Fight for glory, credits, and your life as the StarBlood Network broadcasts every lawless match for the universe to see. Whether it’s single player Carnage deathmatches, Team Carnage* deathmatches, or Invaders co-op*, you’ll be constantly challenged to step up your game and prove that you’ve got the skills to emerge victorious.
The StarBlood Network cameras are on, everyone is watching, and there’s no safe space in the Arena. Ready? You better be.“
- Outmaneuver your opposition in chaotic combat with total freedom to move, evade, and attack in any direction.
- Pilot one of 9 distinct ships with their own unique pilot, playstyle, and loadout.
- Play single player, co-op, or multiplayer* matches to unlock ship, weapon, and auxiliary modifications.