In an unfortunate twist, Yager, the developer behind the extraction shooter The Cycle: Frontier, announced on June 28, 2023, that the game will officially shut down on September 27, 2023. Despite a good launch and vast improvements since its inception, the game failed to become financially viable, forcing Yager to sunset The Cycle Frontier. I am sad to see this game flop over. Not to mention, I have given my salute with hard work on some of the early game guides.
The Cycle: Frontier initially set out with a lofty vision to offer an approachable, free-to-play extraction shooter that balanced high-stakes gameplay with rewarding progression. The game experienced a successful start with two closed Alphas and Betas, generating decent results, followed by an official explosive release that attracted big streamers and a substantial influx of players.
In the aftermath of this unexpected success, Yager faced an uphill battle. Due to the game’s popularity, the developer was compelled to upscale its infrastructure, with server capacities bursting at the seams. However, the uphill struggle turned into a rocky slope when the game was hit with an increasing number of cheaters. The anti-cheat measures Yager had in place proved insufficient, negatively impacting the player base.
Season 2 of The Cycle: Frontier failed to rejuvenate the dwindling interest in the game, leading to a critical review of its alignment with the initial vision. Efforts were made to improve approachability, resulting in an uptick in success metrics during Season 3. Still, these improvements weren’t enough to make the game financially sustainable.
The Cycle: Frontier will officially end its service on September 27, 2023. Until then, players will be able to enjoy the game with several changes, including the inability to spend money on the game, significant discounts on items, and the grant of the Premium version of Season 3’s Fortuna Pass to every player for free.
Despite the bitter end of The Cycle: Frontier, Yager remains optimistic, appreciating the invaluable experience that came with developing a large-scale online game. The developer expressed its intent to leverage the lessons from this venture in its future projects.
Last but not least, Yager offers refunds to players who purchased The Cycle: Frontier within 14 days of the announcement. The landscape of extraction shooters is proving challenging for developers, with successful games like Escape From Tarkov being exceptions rather than the rule.
