Fans of Turtle Rock Studios were delighted when the development team responded to consumer feedback regarding their first-person shooter Evolve, using the feedback to relaunch the game as the free-to-play Evolve: Stage 2, which boasted a number of changes suggested by players. The willingness to incorporate feedback was considered by many players to be a good sign, and the future of the title was eagerly anticipated.
Unfortunately, an announcement from Turtle Rock Studios bears bad news as they officially state they will no longer be able to work on Evolve: Stage 2. A simultaneous announcement from publishing company 2K Games states that Evolve: Stage 2 has no further updates planned as development is "complete". 2K Games also states that they will be taking the Evolve franchise in-house, and will be evaluating bringing the title to console games, but that their current priority lies in maintaining and growing the PC audience.
According to Turtle Rock Studios Community Manager Shane Meyer, this is a result of 2K Games ending their contract with Turtle Rock Studios; no reason for why 2K Games ended their contract with Turtle Rock Studios was given in either announcement thread.
Turtle Rock Studios will be hosting one final Evolve livestream on Twitch this Thursday, October 27, at 12 PM PST, where they will talk about their experiences working Evolve as well as answer fans questions. 2K Games has stated that game servers will remain online for the foreseeable future, and no changes will be made regarding silver and gold keys. Additionally, Turtle Rock Studios says that their forums will remain open for players to discuss news regarding the game.
Stay tuned to TechRaptor for further news on Turtle Rock Studios and the state of Evolve: Stage 2.
Quick Take
This news is definitely coming out of left field. There weren't any hints that 2K Games was looking to end its contract with them, although this also isn't the first time they've lost the rights to their own IP, as was the case with Left 4 Dead. We wish the best to Turtle Rock Studios in all their future endeavors, and hope that the franchise flourishes with 2K Games.What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think we'll see another Evolve title from 2K Games? Let us know in the comment section below.
