Space Ape shuts down its nine-year-old RTS Rival Kingdoms
"All games have a life cycle, and Rival Kingdoms is no exception," the developer said
Space Ape has shut down Rival Kingdoms, saying it had been "a privilege" to have run the RTS game penned by Rhianna Pratchett for almost a decade.
The developer said it had no plans to sell or transfer the mobile game to another company, revive it, develop a sequel, or permit players to play the game on private servers.
Whilst the developer stopped short of revealing why it had decided to shutter the game, a statement posted on its website said, "all games have a life cycle, and Rival Kingdoms is no exception."
"It has been a privilege to run Rival Kingdoms for the past eight years and witness the game and its incredible community grow," the statement began.
"Countless hours of passion and dedication have been poured into the wonderful world of Estara, not only by the game teams but also by each and every one of you.
Together, we’ve not only taken on The Ruin but also created lasting friendships, raised money for some amazing charities, and created a virtual world that we can all be proud of. We're eternally grateful for your years of support and commitment to Rival Kingdoms."
Marketing manager Bryan Cindell marked the game's closure with a heartfelt post on LinkedIn, noting their thanks for "the incredible team and the vibrant community that brought this game to life."