Why the Hyper Scape Shutdown Was Just a Matter of Time

Why the Hyper Scape Shutdown Was Just a Matter of Time

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Ubisoft just announced its battle royale Hyper Scape is shutting down soon, and unfortunately it seems this outcome has been a long time coming.

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Why the Hyper Scape Shutdown Was Just a Matter of Time

In a time when many developers have taken the games-as-a-service route, there are countless new games coming out and shutting down. From high-profile failures like Battleborn and Evolve to countless mobile games that reached the end of their service, it’s become a reality that certain titles have a ticking clock over their heads. Many larger games are safe from this, and there are natively offline titles for players to enjoy. But sometimes, even a game from a larger publisher can fall victim to a lack of interest and shut down quickly. The most recent case of this is Ubisoft’s Hyper Scape.

Hyper Scape is a free-to-play 100-player battle royale from Ubisoft Montreal. It was first revealed in July 2020, and after a brief open beta Hyper Scape launched in August 2020. The game was advertised to be a new, fast-paced, and more dynamic style of battle royale, as players could move with more freedom than in other popular titles. The map would also gradually decay in different ways, creating an ever-changing experience. There was more than one possible win condition, with players able to play keep-away with a crown late in the match. Combined with strong Twitch implementation, Hyper Scape seemed to be shooting for the stars. Unfortunately, its short life was immediately apparent.

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Hyper Scape Couldn’t Compete With Other Battle Royales

Why the Hyper Scape Shutdown Was Just a Matter of Time

From the game’s launch, it’s difficult to find things that Ubisoft did wrong with Hyper Scape. It made sure that plenty of popular streamers and influencers got access to the beta and streamed it. It also gave Hyper Scape a dedicated Crowncast Twitch extension, allowing viewers to give boons to their streamer of choice and vote on temporary special rules.

The game launched shortly after its open beta and immediately started up its first season of content, titled “The First Principle.” Players and viewers were rewarded with some in-game currency by playing or watching the beta shortly before the full game’s launch. Cross-platform progression was available for those who tried the beta on PC but were waiting for the proper console releases. Tons of content was added throughout the season, and snippets of story were hidden in the world each week.

Unfortunately, as promising as Hyper Scape seemed, it wasn’t enough to stay afloat. The summer of 2020 was a strange time for gaming, with livestreams revealing news and next-gen consoles on the horizon. After some attention in July, Hyper Scape became lost in the fold. Many players were either playing their preferred battle royale, or were not interested in the genre. There didn’t seem to be anyone clamoring for Hyper Scape, partially owed to it coming in late on the battle royale trend. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone had dominated the space. Valorant and Fall Guys also released a couple of months and a week, respectively, before Hyper Scape.

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The Signs of Hyper Scape’s Death Were Obvious

After most of the industry forgot the game existed, Hyper Scape appeared in the news in January 2022 to announce its August 28 shutdown. The game will be available less than two years total, a surprisingly low amount. While free-to-play models lower the barrier of entry, an absent price tag can backfire on an underperforming game. Post-launch support lasted until 2021 with three seasons, but Ubisoft barely marketed Hyper Scape during that time. Rainbow Six Siege and For Honor have been kept alive, but that sort of push for Hyper Scape wasn’t there.

The final death knell sounded for Hyper Scape when Ubisoft began experiencing talent bleed in 2021. The company has been forced to re-evaluate what its most important projects are going forward, and what staff it can spare to work on them. While Ubisoft Montreal is an accomplished studio with some of Ubisoft’s best games, its efforts are better spent working on a major upcoming project than a game that quickly dwindled in players and Twitch viewers. Hyper Scape was an experimental project that showed a lot of promise, but its circumstances didn’t work out. Hopefully, Ubisoft’s next battle royale Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline can learn from its predecessor’s mistakes.

Hyper Scape servers will be shutting down on April 28, 2022.

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