2K Gives In To Fans, Turns Servers Back On For Abandoned '4v1' Online Game
2K Gives In To Fans, Turns Servers Back On For Abandoned '4v1' Online Game
Expand / The unique 4v1 battles of /em < em>Evolve are now back online - and while access is limited, we still consider this a victory for the preservation of game history.
2K Games / Turtle Rock
From a preservation perspective, the modern shift to "always-online" video games has been a disaster. We've seen it many times: a developer stops "supporting" an online game, then the rug is pulled back from fans who might try to make their way to play the game with friends, leaving all access in tatters.
In the case of the four-on-one online shooter Evolve, however, the reverse was true, and in a surprising twist, this game developed by Turtle Rock and released in 2K has been given more life this week than in the four years since its support closed.
Step 2... part 2
Before I explain, I must clarify the worst news. This previously free game is now virtually impossible to access if you didn't previously own or claim it, and there's no clear path to play it due to the game being delisted from online retailers in September. 2018. Apparently the download is working The "keys" to the free (F2P) version of the game, which went live in 2016, may still be floating around.
When the game was delisted, 2K Games clarified that it would continue to support "Legacy Evolve", an older version of the game with fewer characters and options available through a barebones peer-to-peer (P2P) matchmaking service built into the game. Between this support and the custom lobby options, fans of the original on PC and console could continue playing a game that Ars Technica didn't like so much when it launched in 2015.
That tenuous peace was broken earlier this year when 2K pulled the plug on the game's P2P server infrastructure without any official announcement of a shutdown schedule (as opposed to the months-in-advance notices we tend to see , such as a mass removal of the game advisory issued by Ubisoft last month). Evolve's remaining dedicated fanbase didn't appear to be mounting a noticeable backlash campaign, which means that Legacy Evolve's month-long downtime and patch 2K tracking to the servers in question, came and went without fanfare.
Weeks later, however, fans noticed something: the final official version of the game, better known as Evolve Stage 2, seemed to work on PC again. Perhaps his switch had been flipped as early as June 8; 2K Games never announced the reactivation of the Legacy Evolve server, and the game's official support page has been inactive for nearly four years. (Representatives for 2K Games did not immediately respond to Ars Technica's requests for comment.) Regardless, Evolve Stage 2's built-in P2P matchmaking system on PC is operational again and even supports some, but not all, of the "progression" systems that were added when the game received its F2P patch in 2016. (One of the more amusing responses to the news came from a former Evolve developer, who chimed in on a Reddit thread about the update: "Omg, I'm so happy. I'm downloading it now.")
Reach a new monster hunting deal via Discord
All in-game purchases have been stopped, and in-game prompts for official 2K servers must be bypassed or skipped to access a barebones "arcade" matchmaking queue. Still, Ars Technica has re-uploaded the 60GB game to Windows PC and confirmed that its unique "one monster vs. four hunters" online battle is fully functional.
In the years since the game was discontinued, I would say its concept and...
Expand / The unique 4v1 battles of /em < em>Evolve are now back online - and while access is limited, we still consider this a victory for the preservation of game history.
2K Games / Turtle Rock
From a preservation perspective, the modern shift to "always-online" video games has been a disaster. We've seen it many times: a developer stops "supporting" an online game, then the rug is pulled back from fans who might try to make their way to play the game with friends, leaving all access in tatters.
In the case of the four-on-one online shooter Evolve, however, the reverse was true, and in a surprising twist, this game developed by Turtle Rock and released in 2K has been given more life this week than in the four years since its support closed.
Step 2... part 2
Before I explain, I must clarify the worst news. This previously free game is now virtually impossible to access if you didn't previously own or claim it, and there's no clear path to play it due to the game being delisted from online retailers in September. 2018. Apparently the download is working The "keys" to the free (F2P) version of the game, which went live in 2016, may still be floating around.
When the game was delisted, 2K Games clarified that it would continue to support "Legacy Evolve", an older version of the game with fewer characters and options available through a barebones peer-to-peer (P2P) matchmaking service built into the game. Between this support and the custom lobby options, fans of the original on PC and console could continue playing a game that Ars Technica didn't like so much when it launched in 2015.
That tenuous peace was broken earlier this year when 2K pulled the plug on the game's P2P server infrastructure without any official announcement of a shutdown schedule (as opposed to the months-in-advance notices we tend to see , such as a mass removal of the game advisory issued by Ubisoft last month). Evolve's remaining dedicated fanbase didn't appear to be mounting a noticeable backlash campaign, which means that Legacy Evolve's month-long downtime and patch 2K tracking to the servers in question, came and went without fanfare.
Weeks later, however, fans noticed something: the final official version of the game, better known as Evolve Stage 2, seemed to work on PC again. Perhaps his switch had been flipped as early as June 8; 2K Games never announced the reactivation of the Legacy Evolve server, and the game's official support page has been inactive for nearly four years. (Representatives for 2K Games did not immediately respond to Ars Technica's requests for comment.) Regardless, Evolve Stage 2's built-in P2P matchmaking system on PC is operational again and even supports some, but not all, of the "progression" systems that were added when the game received its F2P patch in 2016. (One of the more amusing responses to the news came from a former Evolve developer, who chimed in on a Reddit thread about the update: "Omg, I'm so happy. I'm downloading it now.")
Reach a new monster hunting deal via Discord
All in-game purchases have been stopped, and in-game prompts for official 2K servers must be bypassed or skipped to access a barebones "arcade" matchmaking queue. Still, Ars Technica has re-uploaded the 60GB game to Windows PC and confirmed that its unique "one monster vs. four hunters" online battle is fully functional.
In the years since the game was discontinued, I would say its concept and...
Expand / The unique 4v1 battles of /em < em>Evolve are now back online - and while access is limited, we still consider this a victory for the preservation of game history.
2K Games / Turtle Rock
From a preservation perspective, the modern shift to "always-online" video games has been a disaster. We've seen it many times: a developer stops "supporting" an online game, then the rug is pulled back from fans who might try to make their way to play the game with friends, leaving all access in tatters.
