The Witcher: Monster Slayer will be shut down next year and there will be lay-offs expected.
CD Projekt Red’s Spokko studio made the announcement that the “Pokemon GO “style game will be shut down next year and as a result, a few of the staff will be laid off too.
The Spokko team will be merged into CD Projekt Red with only a few staff members moving over to the other projects.
The game was only released in July of last year but seems to have been a disappointment to fans and received mixed reviews at best.
The Witcher: Monster Slayer simulated a Pokemon GO style where the game was an image of the real world (supported by google maps).
To move around in the witcher gaming universe, the player must do so in the actual world. The location feature of the end device takes control of the location.
The player can find a variety of monsters, plants, and orders on the game environment. Players will come across various objects depending on the topography, the time of day or night, and other factors.
A battle starts when a player comes across a monster that is nearby. Players can craft bombs, witcher potions, and oils for swords to aid in battle. Player interactions with characters can also result in brief quests in addition to individual bouts.
The developer said about the shutdown:
“While The Witcher: Monster Slayer was an incredible journey, unfortunately, it did not reach our business expectations. Following CD Projekt’s most recent change in its long-term product strategy, we plan to start structural changes in the capital group.
Moving forward, we plan to roll Spokko into CD Projekt, with a part of its staff given the opportunity to join core CD Projekt Red development projects.
During this transition, there will be some staff members who will, unfortunately, be let go. However, we will do our best to support all of our employees affected by this situation and ensure the transition to the next step in their careers is as easy and safe as possible.”
As of the 31st of January, 2023, The Witcher: Monster Slayer will remain on the App Store and Google Play, but there will be no further content added, including new monsters, armour, quests, timed, and daily tasks or events.
The in-game shop will no longer offer real-money transactions, but players can still purchase items using their in-game currency. Everything goes offline permanently on the 30th of June 2023.