In the age of online shooters and other multiplayer games, some things catch on quickly. The sad fact is that some games fade out even faster. One such example is Battleborn. If the name sounds familiar but you can’t quite place why you’re not alone. A lot of buzz around 2K’s hero-shooter disappeared quickly. Now, less than 5 years after its debut on PC and console, the game is closing permanently.

The free-to-play shooter from Gearbox, developers of Borderlands, debuted in May 2016. The game looked promising, but actually started as a paid game. To help garnish interest, the developers moved it to a free title and promised to feature interesting heroes. The gameplay was okay, but it was a bit too in-between in terms of gameplay. Part FPS, part MOBA-style tactical game, the audience intended to love this game didn’t quite exist in a way that Gearbox and parent company 2K had hoped.

Overwatch proved that hero-shooters can do quite well. Likewise, plenty of MOBA titles lead in Steam rankings for players and views on Twitch. Battleborn just didn’t quite catch the eye of enough people to kickstart a new gaming phenomenon. Originally, single-player modes were still going to be active for those wanting to play the game that way. The online services would close January 25th, but now 2K is saying that all game modes are no longer supported.

Officially pulled off online stores and no longer playable either as a single-player game or multiplayer experience, the game is dead. It’s tough seeing a game that people enjoyed, even if it was a small number of people, get shut down. Hopefully, 2K puts their efforts behind something a bit better in the future if they return to this genre.

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