Dungeonborne Prepares for Shutdown

Developer Motive Studios has announced the abrupt termination of Dungeonborne, their Dark and Darker-inspired PvPvE extraction game. Despite initial buzz within the hardcore dungeon-crawling community, the title failed to maintain traction, suffering from dwindling player numbers and insufficient post-launch content.

A Silent Disappearance

While Dungeonborne's Steam store page remains technically accessible, it's become virtually invisible - no longer appearing in platform searches unless accessed through direct links. Though no official statement explains the shutdown, the writing has been on the wall: peak concurrent users hadn't broken 200 since late 2024 before collapsing to single-digit numbers this month.

The plug gets pulled permanently on May 28th, ending this short-lived experiment in medieval loot-and-extract gameplay. What began as a promising alternative to Dark and Darker will vanish before ever discovering its true potential.

Why Dungeonborne Failed

Industry analysts point to classic pitfalls: an oversaturated market for extraction RPGs combined with lackluster post-launch support. Unlike successful competitors that continually evolve through seasons and expansions, Dungeonborne received only minor balance patches after its Steam Early Access debut last summer.

The game's shutdown follows similar fates for other Dark and Darker clones, suggesting players increasingly prefer the original over imitators. With Ironmace's flagship title recently resolving legal hurdles and regaining Steam access, the clone wars appear decisively settled.

The abrupt closure leaves remaining players (few as they were) without recourse for refunds or preservation - a bitter end for what some early adopters called "a mechanically superior but poorly supported alternative". All official social channels and community hubs are expected to go dark alongside the servers.