Catnip Invites Chronicles Of Elyria Players To Shroud Of The Avatar Following Soulbound's Surprise Shutdown

Yesterday, we received the unexpected news that Soulbound Studios had shutdown Chronicles of Elyria and fired all their staff. The announcement was made just a few days after the game kicked off their first pre-Alpha test, or what one of our readers called a “very expensive three-level parkour course.” Naturally, backers who shelled out thousands of dollars on the game were outraged, calling the whole thing a scam.

Shroud of the Avatar developer Catnip Games, however, was quick to grab the opportunity to invite the now-defunct game’s fans to their MMORPG instead. “Let us know if there is anything we can do to help,” tweeted the studio. “Happy to find your players a home in Shroud of the Avatar. Working on something for new players who might be joining us. New release tomorrow and free-to-play and free row and village lots!”

And, to give new players more incentive to play the game, Catnip says the game will be free to play tomorrow with free row and village lots, along with a new release update. The studio will also be launching a bonus in-game event to encourage people to stay at home. The event will feature a main storyline quest reset and 10x XP boost on top of the current double XP. No date has been given for the event.

As for Catnips' invitation, a few members of the community were quick to point out how inappropriate the move was. “Nothing like going to a funeral just for the buffet eh Chris,” read one tweet. “That desperate huh? Bet next week you’ll beg random people walking down the street to please play your game.”

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below. You can also watch the latest Shroud of the Avatar Friday Stream after the jump.