Magic: Legends, the ARPG developed by Cryptic Studios and is based on Magic: The Gathering, will officially shut down in October, the company announced recently.
Executive producer Steve Ricossa tweeted that Magic: Legends is "shutting down for good" on October 31 at precisely 2:59 a.m. EST.
Ricossa said that the game just “missed the mark” and that developers have no plans of reviving it in the future. It is still in open beta and the company originally had plans of releasing the full game later this year on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. However, that will no longer happen after the recent announcement.
The executive producer also mentioned that the Zen Shop will close down effective immediately. That means players can no longer use real money to buy premium items in the game.
However, Ricossa said that all of the items in the Zen Shop will instead be purchasable using the game’s free in-game currency, Aether, later this week.
Why is the Game Shutting Down?
Ricossa did not provide any concrete explanation as to why the developers have decided to call it quits. Yet we may have some possible reasons as to why this happened.
Magic: Legends was heavily criticized back during its public open beta. According to Sean “Day [9]” Plott, an avid fan of the Magic: The Gathering Arena scene, it was the “ fastest uninstall of my life.”
The game is plagued by three big problems. First, the game uses a complicated currency system. Apparently, players would have to utilize 13 different resources, which is pretty cumbersome, to say the least.
Second, players have been suffering from performance issues right from the get-go, like poor rendering of graphical details and frame rate problems, among others.
And third, and probably the biggest issue, is the blatantly heavy-handed microtransactions. As per an article, getting the Dimir Assassin class - the only locked class in the game - is a chore as it is mainly acquired via booster packs, which costs $3 each. In addition, it is a random drop so you need to factor in some luck and RNG as well.
While you can get the class using in-game gold, getting enough money to do so requires a lot of hours of grinding. Sure, the game is free to play but the developers encourage you to spend some cash if you want to get some really good stuff without the hassle.
People who have spent money on in-game items need not worry. All of the items you’ve purchased before the eventual shut down in October will be fully refunded. You can find out more in the FAQ.
Have you played Magic: Legends? If so, how was your experience? Are you affected by its shutdown?
