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After a tumultuous and largely disappointing open beta, action RPG Magic: Legends will be shutting down permanently on October 31, 2021. In an announcement posted on the game’s official Twitter account, executive producer Steve Ricossa said that the Magic: The Gathering RPG “missed the mark” and that its planned Steam and console versions are now cancelled. Players who spent money on Magic: Legends’ microtransactions will be receiving a full refund, whether they paid through the Epic Games Store or the Arc launcher.
“Our vision for Magic: Legends missed the mark,” Ricossa wrote, “but we are proud of what we achieved. Thanks to Wizards of the Coast, we got to bring the expansive Magic: The Gathering Multiverse to a wide audience and explore new angels within the established ARPG genre.”
It’s always sad to see a live-service game shutting its doors for good, but I’m not sure how many players will be upset (or surprised) about the end of Legends. Right from launch, Magic: Legends was criticized for its heavy-handed microtransactions, poor performance, production quality, and design.
Sean “Day[9]” Plott, who is a major face in the Magic scene, was particularly critical of Magic: Legends’ approach to the ARPG genre when the beta launched. “It’s not that the game lacks interesting decisions, it lacks decisions,” he said at the time. “I hit my buttons on cooldown. I do not manage mana. There was no point in the first three hours that I managed mana, period. I really think that the current implementation of the deck and how that works in combat feels like an anti-system. It feels like it hurts the gameplay rather than creating something new and cool and fun.”
Despite some patches and updates, it seems like developer Cryptic Studios was never able to turn things around. Players will have until October 31, 2021 to continue playing, but the cash shop is being stripped out immediately and those premium items will instead become available for purchase with the in-game currency.
This page has an FAQ with more details on how players can obtain refunds through the Epic Games Store or Arc launcher.
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