Pearl Abyss Announces Closure Of Shadow Arena Without Ever Having Left Early Access

Pearl Abyss is done putting time and effort into Shadow Arena. The company announced that after two years and eight months, they’ve decided to terminate service on the game. According to the post on Steam, the company is terminating service of the game on August 10. That gives players just about a month of battles before the whole thing comes to a close.

As for why the game is being shut down, Pearl Abyss states that they felt the game “in its current state was inadequate in offering a unique experience”. We’re not entirely sure how unique a battle royale experience can be and still be a battle royale. It’s also possible the game just wasn’t making them any money.

Speaking of money, Pearl Abyss will be offering refunds to players. As with any of these closure refund things, there are time limitations. Although this one seems pretty generous, as it’s open to any player who made a purchase between July 8, 2021, and July 8, 2022. Most of these refunds don’t even go back six months, so that’s pretty good. The refunds will work for Steam players as well as those on the Pearl Abyss client, but there are different ways to go about it, so be sure to read the announcement before trying to request one. Also, note that you have until August 10 to make the request.

Once the request is properly made, players will receive a refund through the same method they used to make the initial purchase. Details on the refund will be sent to the email address linked to their account. In addition, the company will be gifting players special items for Black Desert and Black Desert Mobile. This should actually work out nicely since it’s pretty likely most Shadow Arena players also played one of the other games.

(Nod to MMOFallout C/O Massively)

UPDATE 7/12/2022: Pearl Abyss sent us a statement regarding the closure of Shadow Arena that we felt should be shared with our readers: "Unfortunately, after long deliberation, we have decided to stop the journey of Shadow Arena. First introduced as an action battle content in Black Desert, Shadow Arena was an opportunity to provide our users with a new gameplay experience. With the experience gained through Shadow Arena, we will focus on better game service and development in the future. "