“The Cycle: Frontier” Shooting Game to Shut Down Due to Cheating Issues
Berlin-based game developer, Yager Development, announced on June 28, 2023, that its free-to-play shooting game “The Cycle: Frontier” will be shutting down on September 27, 2023. The decision came after the game failed to maintain a sustainable player base due to the significant impact of cheating.
“The Cycle: Frontier” was launched in June 2022 and initially gained popularity, with 40,000 concurrent players. However, the number of players quickly declined after the second and third seasons, and by June 2023, the average number of Steam players online dropped to 1,000-2,000. The official statement mentioned that cheating had a significant influence on the game’s declining popularity.
The developer stated, “After a successful launch, an online game usually has a few good weeks before interest fades and stabilizes after a few months. We face many challenges during the critical period after the game’s official launch.” One of the most significant challenges was the increasing number of cheaters shortly after the game’s release. Although the game had implemented anti-cheat tools, it became evident that further improvements were necessary to ensure a fair gaming experience for all players. However, by the time additional anti-cheat measures were implemented and the game mechanics improved, many players had already been affected, resulting in a significant drop in the player base.
“The Cycle: Frontier” garnered mixed reviews on Steam, with over 40,000 reviews highlighting both the positive aspects of the game’s mechanics and the numerous complaints about bugs, such as plugins, matchmaking issues, and server problems.
The closure of “The Cycle: Frontier” once again emphasizes the risks faced by online competitive service-based games. Cheating poses a significant challenge to games that prioritize competitive fairness, and combating cheating requires substantial investments of resources. Even with the resources available to large game companies, they often struggle to effectively address cheating. Unfortunately, “The Cycle: Frontier” ultimately succumbed to the challenges posed by cheating, resulting in its closure.