Epic Games Focuses On Fortnite, Shuts Down Paragon

Epic Games is the studio you probably know best for games like Gears of War, Unreal and their recent breakout success Fortnite. 

Today they announced they are shutting down Paragon, the third-person MOBA they put into early access in 2016 and open beta in 2017. The studio announced that the game will cease development and shut down its servers by the end of spring this year. Additionally, refunds will be offered for every purchase ever made on the game.

This recent announcement is disheartening but it's definitely not a surprise. Paragon has always struggled to retain its players on both PC and PS4, but the success of Fortnite has forced Epic to reevaluate their development future. As such, this announcement cements the decision to invest more heavily in Fortnite. 

In a statement on its official website, the Paragon development team explained why it felt that move was necessary: "It's with heavy hearts we've decided to close down Paragon," the message says. "We truly appreciate everything you've put into Paragon. We received many passionate ideas for where to take the game; the outpouring of thoughtful suggestions is another testament to this incredible community."

"After careful consideration, and many difficult internal debates, we feel there isn't a clear path for us to grow Paragon into a MOBA that retains enough players to be sustainable. We didn't execute well enough to deliver on the promise of Paragon. We have failed you--despite the team's incredibly hard work--and we're sorry."

In the meantime, Paragon will remain playable. However, Epic Games warned that, "As the player population continues to decrease, matchmaking times and quality will further degrade."