We just wanted to clear the position on the OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead on console and confirm that the game has not been cancelled, purely postponed whilst development is on-going. We will share further news as soon as possible.<doc-sep>Skybound Entertainment, the company founded by David Alpert and “The Walking Dead’s” Robert Kirkman, terminated its contract Tuesday with developer Starbreeze Studios and killed off the studio’s game “Overkill’s The Walking Dead” saying it did not meet the company’s standards. The game will no longer be released on console and Valve is finalizing its strategy for how to handle the sale of the PC version of the game on Steam. In a statement sent to Variety, Skybound Entertainment said it was terminating its contract with the studio. “Our creators and their stories are the core of Skybound, and since 2014 we have worked hard to expand the world of ‘The Walking Dead’ into an exceptional co-op action FPS,” according to the statement. “We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately ‘Overkill’s The Walking Dead’ did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised. “We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share their disappointment in the game. We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer, and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.” The news comes as Starbreeze Studios continues to struggle with the poor reaction to “Overkill’s The Walking Dead.” The company made about $3.65 million from the game, but it was considered a flop. Shortly after the game’s release Starbreeze opted to review costs and then filed for reconstruction the next month. In Starbreeze’s “Walking Dead” shooter, players work to build an encampment and then keep it safe by going on runs and helping out those inside the encampment and those who may join. While the game has the initial look and feel of a typical shooter like “Battlefield” or “Call of Duty,” but with zombies, it doesn’t take long for players to realize they need to be much more cautious in their approach, both with zombies and the non-friendly humans. In a 2018 interview, Saul Gascon, global development director at Starbreeze, said that the post-launch plans were designed to mimic the formula that was so successful with “Payday.” “We launch a game and then we evolve the game with the community and then we work on what we want to do from a narrative and gameplay perspective,” he said at the time. “Every month after launch we will do something new for players. Whoever gets the game is going to be entertained for a long time. Think of it more as a TV show with episodes rather than a movie.” But the critical response to the game’s release was not good. “The whole cycle that defines ‘Overkill’s The Walking Dead’ feels hollow,” according to Variety’s review. “The story is an excuse to put players on missions, but who cares about the mission if you don’t care about your camp? The goal of the level is to bring back supplies and loot that upgrade your character, but why bother upgrading your character if it doesn’t make the game more exciting? The best loot-driven games rely on a great progression to spur you on, to get you so excited that you don’t mind replaying the same old levels. ‘Overkill’s The Walking Dead’ seems to expect that, once you’ve started playing and leveling up a character, you simply won’t be able to stop. There are plenty of games, even time sinks, that will treat you better.”<doc-sep>The console versions of Overkill’s The Walking Dead have been canceled, in just about the most definitive way possible. Skybound Entertainment, the company that licenses and manages Walking Dead video games, said yesterday it terminated its contract with the bankrupt Starbreeze Studios and “will discontinue all efforts” on the game. “We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately Overkill’s The Walking Dead did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised,” Skybound said. “We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share in their disappointment in the game.” Overkill’s The Walking Dead launched in November 2018 on Windows PC, after being announced by Starbreeze Studios in 2014. Its launch date was twice delayed by more than a year. What did launch was panned by critics and faced anemic player counts. In January, Starbreeze postponed the game’s PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch indefinitely. Yet product quality seemed to be the least of the worries for Overkill’s The Walking Dead. In December, Sweden-based Starbreeze filed for bankruptcy protection. The company’s prognosis was cited when OtherSide Entertainment bought back the publishing rights to System Shock 3 earlier this month. A week ago, the PlayStation Store sent out an announcement to those who had pre-ordered the PS4 version, saying “the publisher has notified us that the game is cancelled.” However, 505 Games (the title’s console publisher) immediately responded that the game had only been “postponed whilst development is on-going.” Polygon reached out to representatives of Starbreeze, Skybound and 505 Games for additional comment and to inquire about the fate of Overkill’s The Walking Dead on PC, which is still listed for sale at $29.99 on Steam. No reply was received by publication time. Skybound, in its statement yesterday said “We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer, and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.” Update: In a pair of statements published Wednesday, Starbreeze said that Skybound had “filed a license-related complaint” with Steam regarding Overkill’s The Walking Dead and that it is expected to be taken down from the storefront “within a near future.” The first statement said the two parties are in discussion “and Starbreeze is trying to resolve the issue to find an amicable solution, with the ambition to finish and deliver season 2 of the game.” Later, Starbreeze clarified that Skybound’s actions “mean that the game will not be made available for sale again on Steam, and that the console version would not be released.” The company added that Overkill’s The Walking Dead accounted for about $3.6 million in sales during the final quarter of 2018, and that “costs related to development of OTWD has so far exceeded revenue.”<doc-sep>
Start transforming your game’s economy and increase your bottom line. Get the free guide now. Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. Starbreeze can no longer make its Walking Dead game with developer Overkill, according to Skybound Entertainment. The publisher of The Walking Dead comic book series revealed today that it has canceled its contract with the gaming company. “As of today, we have terminated our contract with Starbreeze Studios,” a Skybound spokesperson said in a statement. “And [we] will discontinue all efforts on Overkill’s The Walking Dead.” Overkill’s The Walking Dead is a cooperative shooter that takes place in the same universe as the comic books. It debuted November 6 for PC, and it disappointed many fans and critics. This led to problems for Starbreeze, which revealed it planned to cut costs. Then in December Starbreeze chief executive Bo Andersson Klint stepped down in direct response to The Walking Dead’s sales. Since then, Starbreeze has put the console versions of Overkill’s The Walking Dead on indefinite hold. Swedish authorities even raided the studio in December over insider-trading charges. Now, Overkill’s The Walking Dead is officially over. I’ve reached out to Starbreeze for a statement. Why Skybound is pulling the plug In its statement, Skybound revealed that it’s determined to treat its properties well. And it did not believe that Overkill’s game was a good extension of The Walking Dead. “Our creators and their stories are the core of Skybound, and since 2014 we have worked hard to expand the world of The Walking Dead into an exceptional co-op action FPS,” a Skybound spokesperson said. “We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately Overkill’s The Walking Dead did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised.” The comics publisher apologized to fans. It also says that it is not retreating from the game industry. “We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share their disappointment in the game,” the spokesperson continued. “We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.” The Walking Dead is the best-selling black-and-white comic book each month, according to industry-tracking firm Diamond. It was also a surprise video game hit with Telltale’s The Walking Dead in 2012, when it was GamesBeat’s game of the year. Telltale followed that up with multiple new seasons of the episodic adventure game, but it collapsed before finishing The Final Season of the series. Skybound has since saved The Final Season and plans to finish it on its own.