‘Evolve’ Server Shutdown Announced: How Will This Affect Game?

Dedicated “Evolve” servers are shutting down this coming fall. How will this affect Turtle Rock’s first-person shooter video game?

On Saturday, publisher 2K announced in a blog post the unfortunate news that “Evolve’s” servers are shutting down in September. The company then explained what this shutdown will do to the game.

“‘Evolve’s’ dedicated servers will be shutting down on September 3, 2018. This means several game features will no longer be available, such as Hunt (Ranked), leaderboards, and the in-game store,” 2K wrote.

The publisher stated that the shutdown would also mean the disappearance of Stage 2, the free-to-download version of the game, from the PC platform. However, peer-to-peer multiplayer will still be available in “Legacy Evolve” — the original retail version of “Evolve” — on PC and console.

2K assured fans that all purchased DLC content — Hunters, Monsters and skins —will remain. Nevertheless, it is encouraging players to spend all of their in-game and virtual currency before the in-game store is removed.

While the dedicated servers are shutting down on Sept. 3, virtual currency bundles will be removed from “Evolve Stage 2” next month, specifically on July 2.

According to Eurogamer, 2K’s announcement isn’t that surprising to hear because “Evolve” failed to establish a solid playerbase. As a matter of fact, it is not part of Steam’s top 100 games by concurrent users.

The low number of active users may have worsened two years ago when developer Turtle Rock announced that it would no longer work on the game. “Evolve” has since resurrected in the form of a free-to-play game.

For fans who are still committed to the game, 2K said that they don’t need to worry. They’ll still have access to “Legacy Evolve” even after the dedicated servers are shut down. Players who are accessing the game via console can play it like they normally would. On the other hand, PC players need to follow 2K’s instructions on how to gain access to “Legacy Evolve.”