Viewing Company : Perfect World


Humans-vs-Werewolves royale, Don’t Even Think, shuts down in August
Humans-vs-Werewolves royale, Don't Even Think, shuts down in August

Dark Horse Game Studio and Perfect World announced on May 14th that their free-to-play, asymmetrical, battle royale-like, Don’t Even Think, for PlayStation 4 will be shutting down on August 14th. The full announcement follows:

We have been indebted to your attention and support ever since the official launch of “Don’t Even Think” (DET). Due to the repercussions caused by the coronavirus and a multitude of reasons, it is with the heaviest of hearts that we have come to the unfortunate decision of announcing that we are ceasing operations for DET. Please accept our most sincere apologies for this outcome. Arrangements for our termination of operations will be gradual, and as follows:

Regarding North America, Japan:

05 June 2020: The game will be removed from store shelves. With goods removed as well, players will be unable to download the game or recharge D points.

14 Aug 2020 07:00 (GMT): Closure of game servers. Players will be unable to login to the game.

30 Sep 2020 07:00 (GMT): Official game website will be closed. Players will be unable to visit the website any longer.

30 Sep 2020 07:00 (GMT): Closure of Facebook and Twitter social media accounts. We will cease posting notices and be unable to respond to inquiries.

To express our heartfelt appreciation for all of you who have supported us through this entire journey, after removing the game and goods from store shelves we will be promoting special events from 15 May 2020 to 14 Aug 2020 (GMT), before shutting down servers.

We are ever-grateful for your loyal support to DET, and again, would like to offer our apologies for this decision. Thank you!

“DET” PS4 Ops Team

As of this writing, it is unclear what will happen to the European version of the game as it is not included in the timeline above and was released less than a month before the decision to shut the game down. It’s possible that scaling back to a single region will allow the game and studio to keep operating and ramp back if the global pandemic stabilizes over the summer.

However, Perfect World has launched and shut down dozens of games over the years and this could easily be just another of them. For now you can still give the game a shot for yourself on PlayStation 4 (EU, JP, US). I’ve added the dates to the Watch List calendar and I’ll get a game page ready to go up soon. Thanks to FallenRyan for pointing out the news!

Neverwinter and Operation7 shutting down in Asian regions
Neverwinter and Operation7 shutting down in Asian regions

Thanks again to friend of the site, FallenRyan, for the tip on a pair of Asia-specific server closures happening soon! Most immediate is Neverwinter, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC MMO whose Hong Kong servers will be shutting down in 10 days on June 27th. The game’s PlayStation Store page offers only the simplest of confirmations, stating:

This game will close the server at 2019/6/27. For more information, please check the official website announcement or pay attention to the WeChat subscription account.

We couldn’t find an official post on the English language homepage or social media feeds about the closure but apparently the word was spread via in-game messages that also confirm customer and forum services in the territory will end on December 31st.

The next title being shut down is the Asia-exclusive, free-to-play, PlayStation 4 shooter, Operation7 Revolution. The news was announced on May 16th but the ability to purchase DLC was just terminated a few days ago. Existing players and newcomers alike can continue to play the base game until the servers are shut down on September 16th. Here’s the official statement:

Greetings from Operation7 Revolution. Thank you to all players who have loved and enjoyed for 2 years. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that Operation7 Revolution will be ended to service on Sep. 16, 2019. You can play and enjoy the game until Sep. 16, 2019. We’ll come back and show you better game and service, soon. Thank you.

I’ve added both dates to the Watch List calendar.

“Hero Shooter” Gigantic to shut down July 31, 2018

"Hero Shooter" Gigantic to shut down July 31, 2018

Alongside its latest content update, Perfect World and Motiga staff have announced that their “5v5 hero shooter” Gigantic will be shutting down on July 31st, 2018. Cash purchases for in-game Rubies have already been disabled and until July all Heroes will be free and Shop items will see reduced prices. The full statement reads:

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the January Update is the final content update for Gigantic, and the game servers will be discontinued on July 31, 2018. The journey over these last few years was met with outstanding support from our players and we are all very proud of the incredible experience Gigantic is today. The team wants to give a big shout out to our awesome community – both those who have been with us since the beginning as well as those who just picked up the game recently. We want to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who gave Gigantic a chance.

For all the amazing folks who continue to play and show passion for Gigantic, all Heroes will be FREE as the purchasing of Rubies and Hero Packs have been disabled. This includes our newest hero, T-Mat! Currency will still be rewarded in-game, and any Crowns or Rubies gained by an account will remain available to purchase Shop items at discounted prices. You can read more in our January Update Notes.

Discontinuing Gigantic was not an easy decision. The game is a unique and exciting experience that captured many hearts and minds. Unfortunately, it did not resonate with as many players as we’d hoped. Over the last several months, the teams at Motiga and Perfect World looked into viable options to sustain Gigantic. However, the current state of the game has restricted options for further progress and relevant content updates, and delivering basic features while also fixing long-standing issues was more complicated than expected. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to find an impactful solution that would help Gigantic break through in a crowded market.

Gigantic remains a labor of love to the Motiga and Perfect World teams who worked on the game. It pains us to let it go, and we cannot thank everyone enough who saw something special in Gigantic and its vision. We hope you continue to enjoy Gigantic until July 31st while the official servers remain online.

One last GIGANTIC thank you to our amazing community, and while the sails are up, we’ll see you on the airship!”

Rumblings about the game’s demise stretch back to November 2017 when Perfect World announced that it had laid off most of the team behind the game. In a statement the company revealed that “a core team of developers remains […] who will work with us to support the game and its players”.

Looking at the SteamDB charts, Gigantic made a decent start with thousands of daily players on Steam but by August 2017 the numbers had fallen sharply. Player counts plateaued briefly last Autumn but have been falling ever since, dropping below 200 daily players since last November.

Gigantic launched as a free-to-play game on Xbox One and Steam on July 20th, 2017.  That puts it at just barely over a year old by the time it is to be retired. I’ve added the date to the Watch List calendar and will have a page up for Gigantic soon.