Fast-paced, 50-player battle royale shooter Islands of Nyne has ceased development, only five months after launching into Early Access. In a message posted to the game's Steam community, a spokesperson for studio Define Human confirmed that while the game will no longer be updated, it will transition to free-to-play and servers will be maintained for the foreseeable future.
"Unfortunately, all adventures come to an end, and for us, that time has come a little earlier than we would’ve liked," part of the message reads. "The reality now is we are no longer able to financially support development costs despite our efforts to turn things around with our latest update and pricedrop."
Anyone who purchased either the game or skins after November 29 is entitled to refunds via Steam. There will be one more update to the game, which will add a credits screen in the game's menu thanking all contributors and backers. Additionally, the studio is "exploring server hosting solutions" so that players can host custom matches.
"In closing," the statement reads, "I want to sincerely thank all those who left a positive impact on our lives- our devoted playtesters, our content creator community that streamed countless hours of IoN, the players who left us constructive feedback, and any team-member’s significant other who had to deal with me telling their loved one to get back to work. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us and we hope you look back on your Islands of Nyne experience as one of excitement and fun."
Chris gave Islands of Nyne a spin when it launched in July, making mention of game's unusually fast pace. A full FAQ regarding the game's status can be found here.