Shadow Arena Is Shutting Down On August 10, 2022

On July 8, 2022 Pearl Abyss announced that their fantasy themed Battle Royale title Shadow Arena was shutting down.

The Black Desert Online spinoff was first revealed at G-Star in November 2019 and was released into Early Access in May 2020. Now, about two years since launch the game is scheduled to shut down. Game download and in-game currency purchases have already been disabled with the final termination date set to August 10, 2022.

Shadow Arena never found its footing in the highly competitive Battle Royale genre. The game's all-time peak concurrent player count stands at 4,958 on Steam with more recent playercount numbers barely breaking into the double digits.

Despite a strong start with Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile, Pearl Abyss has thus far failed to follow up with another hit. The studio has several titles under development including Crimson Desert, DokeV, and Play 8, but all have seen extensive delays. They have also had their scope and ambition reduced. Crimson Desert is scheduled for a release later this year.

Further Reading: Official Announcement