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Over the weekend, a podcast’s rumor suggested that the recently released free-to-play Ubisoft game, Roller Champions, would be canned in the near future. Today, Ubisoft released a statement claiming that isn’t the plan, and attempted to assure people that the game, which most of you totally forgot came out in May, is fine, even as the publisher confirmed it has indefinitely delayed the game’s next season.
Roller Champions, not to be confused with Destruction All-Stars, is a free-to-play 3v3 competitive multiplayer sports game that I totally didn’t have to Google before writing this article. It was quietly released in May across consoles and PC, and while initial feedback and reviews were positive, the game mostly slid into the background as other games sucked up all the oxygen in the room.
It surged back into public consciousness over the weekend when game journalist and industry insider Jeff Grubb claimed on the Xbox Era podcast that Roller Champions would shut down after its third season. Suddenly, a lot more people were talking about the game, though most folks’ reactions were either “Oh, that came out?” or “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me.” Still, I’d never seen so many people on my timeline talking about Roller Champions before. All news is good news, or so they say.
However, earlier today, Ubisoft released a statement via the official Roller Champions Twitter account pushing back on the claims that the game was going to be canceled soon, clearly stating that “Roller Champions isn’t getting canceled” and also adding that “Ubisoft fully supports it.” The publisher laid out plans for the game’s future, which includes focusing on what “players have told us needs improvement” and making it clear that it is the dev team’s number-one priority at the moment. As a result of this focus, the game’s current season is being extended indefinitely.
We are doing this for two main reasons: 1. We will push out a patch that includes cross-invites so that we deliver on the game’s promise [of] being a resolutely social experience. We will announce when this patch comes out as soon as it is validated and good to go. 2. We will take enough time to solve the issues our players have voiced as irritants before we release our new season.
Kotaku has reached out to Ubisoft about Roller Champions’ next season and its current, now-extended season.
So the game isn’t canceled but future updates are being paused while the devs work on improving it before adding more content. As for what that content will be or when it will arrive, the team didn’t have much to share, only saying that it has “exciting stuff planned” for future seasons.
Finally, the team promised to keep players updated on the game’s progress and any news of new content. While fans of Roller Champions seem happy it’s not dying, it doesn’t seem to be in the best place, either.
As for why so many folks believed the rumor, it’s likely the combo of its source, Jeff Grubb, and the reality of Ubisoft in 2022. The company seems to be struggling to release games and has even recently canceled several titles, including a Splinter Cell VR project. Other games have reportedly been delayed, and even its upcoming pirate epic Skull and Bones has a long and troubled history of development. So it seemed very plausible that Roller Champions would have its plug pulled so soon. But, at least for now, the game is alive and kicking. Or rolling, I guess.
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