CrossfireX, Knockout City join live-service graveyard

(Image Courtesy: Velan Studios)

Two more live service games are going to the graveyard, as CrossfireX and Knockout City will be shut down in the coming months.

CrossfireX, an Xbox exclusive console version of the popular South Korean free-to-play shooter, will go first, shutting down servers on May 18. It was launched in February 2022 with a single-player campaign developed by Alan Wake and Max Payne studio Remedy Entertainment.

It failed to click with critics as well as fans. Smilegate, the owners of the franchise, have announced they will stop selling the game and all purchases made in the last 14 days as of February 3, 2023 will be eligible for refunds.

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Knockout City, a unique party brawler based on dodgeball, debuted in 2021 under the EA Originals label. Developer Velan Studios took over publishing duties from EA in June 2022 and made the game free-to-play to attract more players.

While the game did find a loyal fanbase, it wasn't enough to support the game in the long run. The servers will shut down on June 6, 2023 but Velan has said it will make a PC version of the game available to play on private servers.

These two games are the latest in the long list of casualties that seek to emulate the success of live-service franchises like Fortnite, Valorant or Genshin Impact.

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Recently, EA scrapped a potential Titanfall/Apex Legends sequel. It also shut down Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile.

Live-service titles Marvel's Avengers and Back 4 Blood have announced they have no more content planned and Rumbleverse has also found itself in an early grave.