Babylon’s Fallhas had patch notes issued that vie for the most depressing in recent video game history. Released only last year,Babylon’s Fallfaltered from the very beginning, boasting unfathomably low player counts even just a few months following its launch.
Babylon’s Fallironically lived up to its name in a manner that Square Enix certainly would not have hoped for. The former live service game was a critical and commercial disaster that many struggled to believe was the work of PlatinumGames, a studio that had previously developedNier: Automata. Shortly after launch it was theorized thatBabylon’s Fallwould go the way ofAnthem, BioWare’s ill-fated foray into the multiplayer space that EA continually kept distancing itself from as time went on. And not even a year passed before that theory became reality, with the Playstation exclusive having officially shut down on February 27 this year.
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But it seems thatBabylon’s Fallcould not fade into oblivionwithout one last depression-inducing manifestation, and it comes courtesy of recently published patch notes on Steam. While it may be surprising to learn that a decommissioned video game simultaneously received patch notes, everything makes sense after seeing the single bullet point listed under the Version 1.4.0 Patch Notes forBabylon’s Fall, which simply reads “end of service.”
With no further elaboration, that sentence marks the end ofBabylon’s Fallgraceless lifespan, but it does not mean the end ofPlatinumGames' ambition for successful live service titles, even if the wider gaming community may sorely wish it did.Babylon’s Fallhad a single player online only a couple of months after release and faced difficulty maintaining a three-digit concurrent player count, far from the tens of thousands that are typically required for a live service title to survive, never mind thrive.
PlatinumGamesdid find success last year withBayonetta 3, and the title recently celebrated a significant sales milestone. It is a franchise that both PlatinumGames and Nintendo seem intent on pursuing further given the announcement ofBayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demonduring 2022’s Game Awards. In what looks to be a major deviation from the action-adventure series, the spin-off had gameplay presented at Nintendo’s most recent Direct. The showcase did little to assuage fears that the prequel would feature combat and mechanics far inferior to those present in the mainBayonettatrilogy, which was highly praised for its flamboyant, intense, and fast-paced encounters.
Babylon’s Fallwas available for PC, PS4, and PS5.
