Carbine Studios shutting down

Update (27/09/18): WildStar will be taken offline on November 28, the now defunct Carbine Studios confirmed this week.

All real-money purchases have been disabled in-game, and any purchases made since July 1, 2018 will be refunded by next week.

Players who purchased the game since through Steam after July 1, 2018 will also be reimbursed for the full amount.

In a blog post on the WildStar website, Carbine offered a heartfelt thanks its players, saying it would do everything it can to "honour the WildStar community".

"We are truly grateful for the vibrant community that grew around WildStar, and for all of your support throughout the life of this game," reads the blog post.

"Our hope is that in these last couple months we can all celebrate the great adventures you've had on Planet Nexus-and have some fun along the way.

"Again, a most heartfelt thank you goes out from all of us to you for sharing this wild, intergalactic ride with us, and to helping make WildStar an experience that truly could not have been possible without you. Thank you."

Original story (06/09/18): Carbine Studios is closing after more than a dozen years in development.

As reported by Kotaku, Carbine parent company NCsoft today informed employees that the WildStar studio would begin the process of shutting down.

"Today, we are closing Carbine Studios and will begin the process of winding WildStar down to ultimately shutter the game," an NCSoft representative told Kotaku.

"WildStar players who have spent money within the game will be refunded purchases from July 1, 2018 until the payment system is shut off. We are also in the process of identifying the teams that will be doing the work to bring WildStar to a close.

"These decisions are very difficult to make and we are in the midst of shifting as many of our teammates as possible into other roles within the organization."

All told, the closure is expected to put 50 people out of work.

Carbine was founded in 2005 by former World of Warcraft developers. It was acquired by NCsoft two years later, and launched WildStar as a subscription-based MMO in 2014.

It struggled to catch on, prompting the studio to switch to a free-to-play model less than a year after launch. Kotaku reported that the studio had two other projects in the works, but it couldn't convince NCsoft to pursue them.

Additional reporting by Haydn Taylor