Boss Key Productions shooter Lawbreakers received a lot of attention but it failed to capture an audience. The studio now acknowledges it’s flogging a dead horse and has decided to move on.
A statement from Boss Key was posted this evening:
It has been a while since we said anything about LawBreakers. With that, the past four months at Boss Key Productions has been especially trying, as we pride ourselves at being communicative and transparent.
So here is the very real truth, which may not come as a surprise.
The fact is LawBreakers failed to find enough of an audience to generate the funds necessary to keep it sustained in the manner we had originally planned for and anticipated. And while a pivot to free-to-play may seem like easiest change to make, a change of this magnitude takes publishing planning and resources to do it.
The team here has worked hard on this game over the past three and a half years and our studio is determined to give this game the second life it deserves. However, between now and then, we cannot sit idle. We will continue to support the game in its current state, but we also need to focus on other projects with fresh creative leaders. We have been working on something new and we can’t wait to share more about it! It’s a passion project that we’re in complete control of.
Thank you for your ongoing understanding and patience.
At least the game is still being supported for the time being but the writing was on the wall quite early on and the players dropped off rapidly soon after launch. The game suffered from a lack of personality with bland characters and gameplay that felt quite stale. All the components simply didn’t gel.
Boss Key is right to move on although a move to free to play six months ago might have been a better option.
