Free Mech Suit Shooter Game Shutting Down Just Months After Release

There’s clearly an appetite for a solid mech suit shooter game, as the popularity of newly released Mecha Break proves. But before this new title from Amazing Seasun Games arrived, another mech suit shooter made its way onto Steam. The game is called Steel Hunters, and it launched into Early Access on April 2nd. Now, after just over two months of PvPvE action, the game’s developer has announced it’s being shut down.

Steel Hunters comes from developer Wargaming Group Limited. Wargaming has some very successful titles on Steam, including World of Tanks, which boasts Very Positive reviews. Many of the developers’ titles are free-to-play, meaning that its plenty familiar with what it takes to make this kind of model work. Alas, with the recent Early Access release of Steel Hunters, it seems things didn’t pan out quite how the publisher and fans might have hoped.

The game takes a PvPvE shooter approach to the mech suit genre, as players power up their mechs to take on extraction missions in the Hunting Grounds. Though the postapocalyptic, multiplayer vibe certainly caught the attention of gamers, its reviews have been mixed. This may have contributed to the decision to sunset the game so early in its Early Access cycle.

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Though some gamers say it’s a great mech shooter with solid visuals, the game’s Early Access period was plagued with bugs. Many recent negative reviews are talking about the game’s shutdown, but a deeper dive reveals some of the issues that led to the Mixed rating on Steam. The Battle Royale format wasn’t popular with many fans who wanted a more straightforward mech battle style experience. The monetization plans, as revealed by the variety of in-game currencies in early access, also drew criticism from early players. By and large, however, it seems like lag and server issues, as well as a lack of content in early access, earned the most negative feedback from gamers. Now, it seems gamers won’t get to see the full potential of Steel Hunters, as it is officially shutting down.

What to Expect with Steel Hunters Going Offline on October 8th

On July 8th, Wargaming Group announced that Sunset Hunters will be taken fully offline in 90 days, with servers shutting down around October 8th. The stated reason for this is that “continuing development is not sustainable.” Whether this means the feedback has outpaced what feels reasonable for the developers or if other factors came into play, we don’t quite know.

In the lead-up to the game’s full shutdown, there will be a few big farewell events. This includes support for custom matches that players can enjoy to “create some final memories together” in Steel Hunters. There will also be a big farewell tournament, with details to be revealed in the game’s official Discord channel.

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The big gift to dedicated players is that all Hunters (mech suits) will be unlocked for the remainder of the game. This includes new, never-before-released mechs for players to try out. These free releases will only be available until the server shuts down around October 8th, but it’s a nice way for gamers who were enjoying Steel Hunters to enjoy its last hurrah.

Steel Hunters is currently still available to download for free via Steam. Wargaming Group has not announced plans to delist the title ahead of server shutdown, so there’s still time to check it out if you are curious to see what could have been. The Steel Hunters servers will shut down on or around October 8th, at which time you will no longer be able to play the game.