Phoenix Labs has announced that it will be shutting down Dauntless on May 29, 2025. The announcement also said the game will not receive additional content or updates and will no longer be available for play after the said date.
“Important Update,” the developer wrote in an update shared on the game’s official X account. “Dauntless is shutting down on May 29, 2025. Dauntless will receive no additional content or updates. Dauntless will no longer be available to play on and after May 29, 2025, at 11:45 PM PST. Thanks to all for being a part of the Dauntless journey.”
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Unfortunately, the comment section was locked making it impossible for us to learn what players may think about the decision. Trouble has always been lurking around the corner, starting with two rounds of layoffs that saw the employees at Phoenix Labs shrink significantly.
On January 16, the developer issued a statement regarding a decision to delay the launch of Dauntless: Umbral Reign. According to the announcement, “The Team wants to ensure we deliver the best possible experience”. They said the new season will hopefully launch the next week.
However, by January 23, the problem was still not fixed and the developer replied to their original post saying, “Slayers, bear with us while we continue to navigate through unforeseen circumstances that are preventing the release of Umbral Reign”.
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While Dauntless lasted, it enjoyed an impressive audience size. As of May 2022, Phoenix Labs said the title had reached over 30 million Slayers. That is an impressive number for a game that was launched in 2019.
Why Phoenix Labs is shutting down Dauntless
While Phoenix Labs made no mention of the reason why it was shutting down Dauntless, we have a couple of explanations that could have forced them to make the decision.
Firstly, the public perception of the game has dwindled in recent months. On Steam, the game’s rating has plunged to “Overwhelmingly Negative”. The December 5, 2024 update was poorly received, mostly because it erased every player’s history. One comment on Steam read:
“The December update to this game might have been one of the worst in gaming history. It turned a chill arcade hunting game into a grindy, poorly designed, unfun piece of garbage. It’s sad to see the game go out like this.”
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In May 2024, Phoenix Labs shed 140 employees and canceled projects to focus only on Dauntless and Fae Farm. However, in January 2025, the studio laid off the majority of its staff. Our guess is that a significant number of developers involved in supporting Dauntless were affected by the layoff which impacted the studio’s ability to continue supporting the game.
We imagine the remaining devs must have worked harder to keep the game going. However, after a long battle, the developer eventually realized the game was done for. It is sad to see the game leave while at its lowest because years from now no one will likely remember it existed.
If you have ever played Dauntless, how did you feel about the announcement? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
