What you need to know
- Smilegate Entertainment, the developer behind the Xbox exclusive shooter CrossfireX, has announced its plan to shut the game down on May 18, 2023.
- Both the game's single and multiplayer content offerings will become unavailable after the shutdown. Refunds are being offered to anyone that spent money on the game in the last 14 days as of February 3, 2023.
- CrossfireX is also now unavailable to purchase on Microsoft's Xbox store, and has been removed from Xbox Game Pass.
- During and since its early 2022 launch, CrossfireX has been heavily criticized for its lack of polish, poor controls and UI, and mediocre campaign.
Smilegate Entertainment, the developer behind the 2022 Xbox exclusive tactical shooter CrossfireX, has announced its decision to shut the game down. Players will be able to enjoy the game until May 18, 2023, at which point it will become unavailable. The title has also been taken off Microsoft's Xbox store, and Smilegate is offering refunds on any purchase made in the last 14 days as of February 3.
"It is with the deepest regret that we are informing you of our decision to end support for CrossfireX on May 18, 2023," the studio wrote in its official service closure notice. "Since the launch of the game, we have worked tirelessly to bring it to a point where we can all be proud, and throughout it all we have had the honor and pleasure of supporting our players."
When CrossfireX launched in early 2022, it was widely criticized for its lack of polish, poor aiming and movement controls, confusing UI, and mediocre single-player campaign. In our CrossfireX review, we said that the game "can provide a few hours of fun to some, but is best left alone by most." Though updates have improved the title, its player count has continued to drop over the last several months.
It is with deepest regret that we must inform you of our decision to terminate our service for CrossfireX. We want to thank each and every one of our players for playing and being a part of this journey with us. For full details, please visit: https://t.co/Kx03nYOmLA pic.twitter.com/Gl790Tn38TFebruary 3, 2023
"Coming to this decision was not easy, however, we can proudly say that our players have been amazingly active, passionate and enthusiastic in working with us to create a game that would be fun and enjoyable by all," said Smilegate. "We want to thank each and every one of our players for playing CrossfireX and being a part of this journey with us."
Notably, the content that will become unavailable in the wake of the shutdown includes CrossfireX's single-player campaign, which has surprised many. Created in a partnership with Control and Alan Wake Remastered developer Remedy Entertainment, the campaign is considered by most to be a decent, if generic, experience. Though it was originally added to Xbox Game Pass, it has now been removed from the service.
The news of CrossfireX's closure comes amid several recent live service cancellations, including EA's Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile, as well as Velan Studios' Knockout City and Iron Galaxy Studios' Rumbleverse. Official support for Marvel's Avengers, a high-profile service game from Square Enix, is also slated to end on September 30, 2023, though the game will remain playable.
