Second Extinction ends further development, gets delisted

Systemic Reaction that they have canceled further development on their multiplayer dinosaur FPS, Second Extinction, and has removed it from sale on marketplaces. Servers are set to clos馃崒e down for it in 2軎�024.

Second Extinction entered Early Access in October 2020, and never really left. The initial goal was to fully launch late last year, but that due to 鈥渃ritical issues.鈥� After assessing things, the team 鈾峢as decided just to drop it and move on.

鈥淯nfortunat饾暣ely, it became clear that our small team lacked the resources necessary to hit our quality targets and exit Early Access and Game Preview, and the investment needed to do so was too large for us to bear. After evaluating our options and working during this year to find other potential solutions, this became the reality our team had to face.鈥�

Interestingly, Systemic Reaction is part of Avalanche Studios Group, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of Nordisk Film. If we take them by their word, then that must be one hell of a corner they painted themselves int馃挒o.

Every cloud, I guess

While the cancellation of a game that people have already paid 馃悷for is pretty crappy, there is one silver lining he馃樇re:

鈥淎lthough this isn鈥檛 the outcome any of us hoped for, we want to assur馃尭e you that 鈾妕here are no layoffs associated with this decision.鈥�

Ideally, studios should be able to make mistakes and be able to turn around from it. It鈥檚 just not a great look when the expense is all on their supporters. The developer doesn鈥檛 really have the best track record to begin with, having made Generation Zero and Ravenbound, neither of which got the best reception. Perhaps that鈥檚 part of the decision to can Second Extinction.

Nonetheless, there鈥檚 always a chance for a developer to turn things around, and here鈥檚 hoping tha饞妿t Systemic Reaction can do just that and gain back the trust of the supporters who might feel burned by this cancellation.