Amazon Games is Shutting Down Yet Another Live-Service Game

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Amazon Games is shutting down its co-op action game, King of Meat, on April 9, 2026, less than a year after it launched. This decision reflects Amazon’s scaling back of its live-service gaming efforts, following several cancelled projects and game shutdowns. According to the game’s developer, Glowmade, King of Meat didn’t attract enough players. While they had hoped for around 100,000 concurrent players, the game only peaked at 320 players on Steam, and currently has just 9 players online.

The four-player co-op game King of Meat launched on October 7, 2025, combining fast-paced combat with platforming challenges. While some players were initially excited, it didn’t gain a large audience, as shown by player numbers on Steam. The game is scheduled to shut down on April 9, 2026, and the publisher has announced that all purchases will be fully refunded. This is the latest live-service game to be discontinued by Amazon Games, following similar decisions with titles like New World.

Amazon Games Pulls the Plug on Live-Service Game King of Meat

The cancellation of King of Meat isn’t unusual. Over the past ten years, Amazon has repeatedly launched online games and live-service titles only to cancel them and shut down their servers. Many of these projects, including large-scale online worlds and competitive shooters, failed to build the long-term player base Amazon expected.

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Canceled or Discontinued Live-Service Titles, Games About to Shut Down or End Service

  • Breakaway – Competitive online team-based game canceled before launch.
  • Crucible – Free-to-play team shooter that launched in 2020 and was shut down the same year due to lack of traction. Unlike Breakaway, Crucible was a live-service title.
  • Lord of the Rings MMO (multiple attempts) – A highly anticipated Lord of the Rings MMORPG that was shelved more than once amid restructuring and strategic shifts, with the latest being in 2025.
  • King of Meat – Live-service PVE title ending service in April 2026, following weaker-than-expected player numbers and retention.
  • New World: Aeternum – Amazon’s flagship MMORPG, released in 2021, New World‘s servers will permanently shut down on January 31, 2027, with content development already ceased and digital storefront availability halted.

Amazon has had an inconsistent history with online games. While they’ve tried launching ambitious, ongoing games, many haven’t gained a large player base or have lost players over time. This shows how unpredictable online gaming can be and how hard it is to keep players interested for the long haul. Games like Crucible, which was quickly cancelled, and New World, which has struggled, demonstrate the financial difficulties publishers face when games don’t keep players engaged and generating revenue.

With the upcoming closure of King of Meat, Amazon Games seems to be rethinking its strategy. They’re now prioritizing partnerships and broader entertainment options instead of creating and managing many in-house live-service games. While the loss of King of Meat is disappointing, it highlights the unpredictable nature of live-service games, particularly considering the current situation with Highguard.

The website for Highguard is currently down following layoffs at its developer, Wildlight Entertainment, and it’s uncertain if the recent content update will be enough to keep the game running, or if it will close like King of Meat. Highguard’s situation is similar to Amazon’s Crucible, and both share parallels with the fate of Concord. While the shutdown of King of Meat is disappointing, it highlights the challenges of creating successful live-service games and how unrealistic expectations can lead to their failure.

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2026-02-24 00:37