Eldegarde, the Fantasy "Mini-MMO," to Shut Down Just Two Months After 1.0 Launch

Eldegarde, a fantasy multiplayer title that fused action-RPG combat with extraction gameplay and MMO-like class design, has been pulled from Steam and will officially shut down its servers on March 31. The decision comes a mere two months after the game’s 1.0 launch.

Developer Notorious Studios, a startup founded by former Blizzard veterans, announced the difficult decision, citing financial hurdles. According to founder and CEO Chris Kaleiki, the game's full release simply "didn't gain enough traction to sustain the studio financially long term."

A Victim of Industry Shifts

Initially pitched as a "fantasy extraction game" with PvPvE elements, Eldegarde evolved over a year in Early Access to include more robust PvE experiences, shifting its vision toward becoming a "mini-MMO." Kaleiki noted that while many of today’s most successful games take time to grow their player base and reach their ultimate vision, the current climate of the gaming industry made long-term survival impossible for the lean studio.

"We are in an incredible transitional moment in the industry right now, one that is causing a great deal of pain for studios and developers," Kaleiki explained, noting that this unhealthy state of the industry was part of his original reason for leaving Blizzard to form Notorious.

A Glimmer of Hope for Preservation

While the majority of the development team has moved on, there is a small ray of hope for the game's community. Kaleiki revealed that a team of volunteers is currently working to convert Eldegarde into an offline experience, or potentially one that utilizes client-side servers.

However, he was quick to stress that this is "not a promise." The conversion is a massive technical challenge that will take a significant amount of time, and there is no guarantee it will be achievable.

Refunds and Final Days

For now, Eldegarde has been removed from the Steam storefront. Existing players can continue to log in and play until the servers go dark indefinitely on Tuesday, March 31. Notorious Studios has confirmed that any players who purchased the game within the last two weeks are eligible for a full refund, though claiming the refund will immediately revoke access to the game during its final weeks online.