Fans of Spellbreak recently came together to bid farewell to the game as its servers were shut down. Spellbreak was a fantastical battle royale where players fired off spells instead of bullets. Now, just a few short years into its lifespan, the game is gone for good.
Released in 2020, Spellbreak was met with positive reviews, its magical twist on the formula allowing for a healthy amount of player experimentation. Spellbreak allowed players to combine magic to deadly effect, and that, along with its solid execution of battle royale mechanics, helped the game stand out. Unfortunately, last June developer Proletariat announced the game was shutting down. Despite critical praise and its inventive gameplay, Spellbreak had a fairly low player count, and though it wasn't stated at the time of the announcement, this was likely the primary factor in the decision.
Right on the heels of the announcement, reports that Blizzard would be acquiring Proletariat cropped up. Now, several months after the deal is all said and done, Spellbreak has had its final curtain call. To celebrate/mourn the game's final moments, Twitch streamer IXITimmyIXI gathered together a collection of subscribers and fellow streamers to play a few pacifist matches. During the last hour of the game's life, the players danced and chatted and fired spells off without malice, all in the spirit of a fond farewell. IXITimmyIXI also shared a brief clip of the final moments of the last match, when the 'Spellstorm,' Spellbreak's version of the "Toxic Storm" from Fortnite, is closing in on players.
In the clip, IXITimmyIXI's avatar can be been seen center screen using a cheer emote as fellow players gather around him, all decked out in a wide variety of skins, creating colorful cast of characters. The impending Spellstorm is visible in the background, but the gathered players pay little heed as they fire off as many spells as possible in a cataclysmic conflagration of magic. All-in-all, an appropriate send-off for Spellbreak.
Though this is the end for the game in an official sense, IXITimmyIXI mentions a dedicated Spellbreak community server throughout the full archived broadcast of the stream. He's heard encouraging fans to gather in the community's Discord. He also calls out to fans who are interested in helping with development, and those who are experienced in legal matters for such situations, as he and other developers are unsure how to legally navigate such an undertaking. Regardless of the outcome, it's good to know the game might continue to have a life within the community, especially since Blizzard reallocated Proletariat developers, meaning the creatives behind the game are now dispersed.
In the wake of the shutdown, players who don't check out the community server will still have their pick of great battle royale games to turn to. Though it's unlikely any will have something similar to Spellbreak's unique magical infusion.