The Focus Shift To SMITE 2 Continues: Realm Royale Reforged And Divine Knockout Will Shut Down

As October rolled in, Hi-Rez CEO Stewart Chisam announced that the company would undergo a pretty substantial restructuring. This shift would result in layoffs at multiple subsidiaries of Hi-Rez and would likely impact multiple titles. The changes would serve two purposes: bring more resources into the development of MOBA SMITE 2, and it would "ensure Hi-Rez's long-term success." Chisam also called the moves "heartbreaking" and a "failure" in his leadership.

Now, two Hi-Rez titles are closing down as a result of these changes. Both Realm Royale Reforged and Divine Knockout will close their doors on February 17th, 2025. Looking at the Steam page for both games, you'll see almost identical brief posts. They give the target shutdown date, advise that players can play until those dates, and review the cash shop items being discounted to near zero for the duration of the games' lives.

Players still have concerns over the possible future of Paladins, too, but no announcement has been made on that front besides a few tweets talking about future development still being planned. That game did just see substantial content added to their PTR, though, so maybe it's safe for a bit longer.