 | Digital Release | Steam March 28, 2017 |
| Delisting | January 31, 2020 – Server Shutdown February 13, 2023 – Removed from Sale |
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| Developer | Aquiris | |
| Publisher | Aquiris | |
| Available On | None | |
| Links | Ballistic Overkill press page SteamDB page |
Delisting
Aquiris Game Studio announced on December 4th, 2019 that they were ending support for Ballistic Overkill, shutting down the official servers, and reducing the price of the game and its DLC to $1.99 each as players would be able to continue playing on community and private servers.
Aquiris was a young development studio and wanted to deliver an arcade arena shooter suited for all FPS lovers, as we were and continue to be. We foresaw a real opportunity to deliver something different and worked hard to develop an experience unlike anything available at the time — remember, there were no names like Overwatch, Titanfall, or Rainbow Six Siege around.
Our game was meant to reach players who were looking for a pick-up and play shooter with simple gameplay that was intended to be social. To make sure that would happen, we chose the most disruptive and fittable platform available at the time: Facebook, who used to have a much bigger focus on games integrated in its core product.
Around a year later, for reasons both internal and external to Aquiris, we had to change our focus and take the game to a more hardcore platform. This proved to be the right decision at the time, and the move to Steam resulted in a much more complex gameplay. While revisiting the main mechanics, we had to question ourselves what could be improved to offer a better experience overall. The answer was to create a class-based FPS with a more sophisticated progression system.
Since we were leaving Facebook for Steam and changing much of our core gameplay, we decided a new brand was necessary. That is why in this process Ballistic became Ballistic Overkill, an identity more suited to its new focus and hardcore mechanics.
On Steam, we quickly reached a considerable number of consecutive players, in a way that was great and beyond our expectations. Unfortunately, supporting a game like this with frequent updates is no easy task, nor is it something cheap, especially for an independent studio like us. Even though we tried and availed multiple possibilities, we simply couldn’t deliver a simple and efficient enough solution to offer the support you deserved and expected from us through 2019, and we apologize for that.
We knew we had to do something and couldn’t leave the game at its current state. Something that didn’t hurt even more your expectations and could reach ours.
We’ve decided to end our official support for Ballistic Overkill, but will keep the game alive for our engaged community. Starting January 31 2020, we’ll shut down our servers, Ballistic Protocols and online rankings. You’ll still be able to play with your friends through the community servers, and the game will remain available on Steam.
Beginning today, Ballistic Overkill will adopt a symbolic price: US$ 1,99 for the base game, and the same amount will be charged for each DLC available. If you purchased the game beginning November 1st, you can get a full refund for your money. Just request a refund via Steam and we’ll be sure to fulfill every one of them, regardless of the time you spent playing the game since then.
This was a tough decision to make. The toughest in the life of the game so far. We know some of you will be frustrated by this, but we are confident this is the best solution. Thanks for all the support you’ve shown us through the years. Even though we’ve reached “The End”, it will always be an honour to have served with you in the field for all this time. We’ll never forget our moments of fun together!
Steam Announcement – December 4th, 2019
Aquiris then returned on February 6th, 2023 to announce that Ballistic Overkill would finally be removed from sale on Steam on February 13th.
It’s been three years since we suspended support for Ballistic Overkill, shutting down the official servers and suspending any official operation for the game, only keeping the game on Steam for a token fee and giving players the opportunity to host their own servers.
Today, as we enter 2023 looking to the future, we’ve decided to delist Ballistic from the Steam catalog once and for all on February 13th, 2023. We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved in the past, but it’s time to move on.
With that, we’d like to thank our fan base and players who have stayed true to the game throughout this time. We invite you to keep an eye on Aquiris’ next steps, which has other games in its portfolio.
Thank you very much! We hope to see you later!
Steam Announcement – February 06, 2023
The game’s active player base dropped below 200 daily players around the beginning of 2019 and with Horizon Chase Turbo as Aquiris’ only other title on Steam they are likely shoring up resources for new developments by shutting down Ballistic.
About the Game
Ballistic Overkill is a bombastic, brutal, and bullet-filled multiplayer shooter. It blends classic arena shooter action with modern FPS gunplay giving you a fast paced class based shooter that’ll leave your opponents bloody on the battlefield. With a progression system that means your wins actually matter and a huge map pool with 6 varied game modes, there’s something for every shooter. Whether you prefer chasing team objectives or the thrill of classic deathmatch, Ballistic Overkill has the gun and the mode for you.
Pick a class, choose your gun, and dive right in, Ballistic Overkill has no barrier between you and immediate run and gun action. Designed from the outset to be ‘pick up and play’, Ballistic Overkill is for you regardless of your level of FPS experience.
Classes
Select one of 7 classes, each with their own style, weapons, and visuals. You get to play Ballistic Overkill the way YOU want to play it. Select from multiple loadouts with each class to tailor each character exactly the way you want to play. And remember there are no support classes, in Ballistic Overkill everyone is a killer!
Berserker – deadly close combat rushdown expert
Vanguard – master of field survival and assault specialist
Wraith – infiltrator and ranged assassin
Shadow – master of speed and stealth assassinations
Grenadier – bane of the campers and explosions maniac
Tank – towering machine-gun toting survival expert
Marksman – perceptive and adaptable intelligence specialist
Maps and game modes
From parks, to malls, to abandoned hospitals and factories, Ballistic Overkill covers a wide variety of locations in its 10 maps. Each is filled with death, either your opponent’s or if you’re not ready…yours. All maps feature multiple game modes to liven things up including:
Team Deathmatch
Free for All
Capture Point
King of the Hill
Rounds
Juggernaut
Daily Missions
You will receive a new mission every day and can have up to a maximum of three active at any given time. You will need to ensure to complete your missions in a timely fashion as when you have three active missions, the oldest one will be replaced when a new mission arrives. Whenever you complete these missions you will receive a reward of either 2, 3 or 4 scrap(s), that you can redeem for crates. In addition to daily missions, you will also receive special missions, the first of which will be appearing in the next few days. These Special Missions will reward you with a Mission Crate.
Steam Marketplace and Unlockables
With over 80 weapons in game, there’s always a new way to kill your enemies in Ballistic Overkill, and with droppable skins that you can trade and/or sell through the Steam Market you can now do this with style and flair. The game features Class based lockboxes and drop Seasons that will change every few months so players can seek out the best skins and unlockables across 5 different rarity types. These unlockables will be dropped in keyless lockboxes so nothing will prevent you from opening them and grabbing the amazing content inside.