Evil Dead: The Game is in the process of being removed from digital storefronts, as developer and publisher Saber Interactive winds down support for the game. Alarm bells were rung when the game disappeared from the Epic Games Store and the PlayStation Store, with Saber later popping in to confirm the game will soon be taken down entirely, with no new players able to purchase it.
At the very least, the studio has also confirmed it will keep the servers live, so everyone who already owns the game can continue to enjoy it.
“We can confirm we’ve begun the process of removing the game from digital storefronts,” Saber wrote on Steam. “Anyone who has purchased the game will still be able to play it as we plan to keep our servers online for everyone.”
“We want to extend a sincere thank you to our community, to those who have been part of the game from the very beginning, and those who have recently joined us. We appreciate all of your support.”
At this stage, it’s unclear how long this situation will last. The reality is that, as a licensed game, Evil Dead: The Game does have a limited shelf life, and eventually, players will need to say goodbye for good. Three years isn’t a long time for a game to enjoy its spotlight, but it’s fair to assume licensing requirements dictated this change.
Read: Evil Dead: The Game won’t get new content, Switch version cancelled
If Evil Dead: The Game had engaged a significantly larger audience during its run, Saber may have had grounds to renegotiate rights, but it does appear that’s not the case. As of September 2023, the game has received no new content, and plans to port it to a new console (Nintendo Switch) have fallen through. While Saber did not outright confirm a lack of player support, it would be fair to assume the game didn’t grow as much as anticipated, and that its existing audience was not enough to sustain it.
Regardless, it does appear Saber is keen to continue supporting existing players, with those servers kicking along over the last few years. It’s pretty rare for a game to survive so long after new content stops, and for studios to commit to this continued server support, despite the circumstances.
For now, those players still jumping into Evil Dead: The Game can look forward to continued support in future. While the situation may change eventually, for now, keen players can continue Ash-ing and slashing in rounds of co-op or PvP action.
