Key Takeaways
1. Turtle Rock Studios canceled the development of Evolve 2 during the concept art stage after several months of pre-production.
2. Evolve initially gained significant hype and sold approximately 2.5 million copies in its first month but struggled to maintain player engagement due to repetitive gameplay and reliance on DLC.
3. The game transitioned to a free-to-play model as Evolve Stage 2 in July 2016, which briefly helped recover its player base but ultimately led to server shutdown in September 2018.
4. Players who purchased Evolve before it became free-to-play could still access co-op modes, but full support was discontinued by July 6, 2023.
5. Turtle Rock Studios, now owned by Tencent, is working on a sequel to Back 4 Blood, while 2K Games retains the rights to the Evolve franchise, making a revival unlikely.
For those who can recall Evolve, Turtle Rock Studios was in the midst of making a sequel to the asymmetrical 4v1 cooperative shooter, where four hunters battled against a monster controlled by a player. Sadly, the development of Evolve 2 was canceled during the concept art stage.
Concept Art Shared
Turtle Rock artist TJ Frame posted 16 pieces of concept art for Evolve 2 on his website, indicating that this was during the early stages of the game’s pre-production. He also mentioned that work on Evolve 2 started not long after the original game’s release in February 2015. Frame stated, “After Evolve released, the studio began work on a sequel,” but the project was abandoned after “several months of pre-production.”
Initial Hype and Sales
The concept of a 4v1 player-versus-player game featuring hunters and aliens on the planet Shear created substantial excitement when Evolve was first announced in January 2014, followed by a release date reveal on October 21 of the same year.
Evolve sold approximately 2.5 million copies in its first month, as reported by 2K Games. It became the top-selling retail game in the UK and the second-best-selling title in the U.S. during its launch period. However, post-launch, the game had difficulties keeping players engaged. Many criticized its repetitive gameplay and heavy dependence on downloadable content (DLC). As a result, the game’s player base declined.
Transition to Free-to-Play
Due to these issues, Evolve transitioned to a free-to-play model as Evolve Stage 2 in July 2016. This shift helped recover some of its lost players and kept it in the top 100 games on Steam. However, over two years, it gradually lost its audience again, leading to 2K Games announcing the server shutdown in September 2018.
Players who had bought Evolve before it became free-to-play could still access co-op via peer-to-peer multiplayer on both PC and console. By July 6, 2023, support for Evolve was completely discontinued when 2K Games announced the server sunset, rendering the game unplayable.
Future of Turtle Rock
Turtle Rock Studios was taken over by Tencent in 2021 and is now working on a sequel to Back 4 Blood, but this information should be taken cautiously. 2K Games still retains the rights to the Evolve intellectual property, and it appears improbable that the publisher will revive the franchise. All that remains of Evolve 2 is the concept art, serving as a reminder of what might have been.
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