Three years on, Dark Alliance is shutting down.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance will be delisted on 24 February 2025, nearly four years on from its initial launch. Developer Invoke Games, formerly known as Tuque Games, announced the shut down on Steam, in a very brief message.
“We will be shutting down (shut down) the Dark Alliance servers on 2/24/2025 and it will no longer be available to purchase starting that day,” the studio said. “The base game and all DLC are still available to play in offline single player by anyone who currently owns it.”
As noted, the game will remain playable, but online elements such as multiplayer co-op will no longer function.
No reason for this shut down has been provided, but it’s worth noting Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance was relatively ill-received at launch. It currently sits at a “Mixed” rating on Steam, with many reviews criticising its story, combat, and polish. It also suffered the unfortunate fate of being completely eclipsed by Baldur’s Gate 3 soon after release, with many comparing Dark Alliance to this successor, as well as its fellow D&D predecessors.
“Don’t play this game,” one Steam review from a user known as Utter Butter reads. “Instead, go play Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 and 2. Then, play NeverWinter Nights (or Champions of Norath, but you probably need a console for that). Then go play Divinity 2: Original Sin, followed by Baldur’s Gate 3. Hopefully, by then you will have forgotten this game existed and you will be able to live a happier life.”
Regardless of the reception to the game, delisting is a cruel fate. It essentially erases Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance from games history and ensures no future players will ever be able to pick up the game.
While its existing players seem to agree there’s not much to miss out on, Dark Alliance still represents the hard work of its developers, the interests and trends of the 2020s, and a small spot of lore in the Dungeons & Dragons story.
For those keen to preserve this history, there’s a few months left to grab Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance and “save it” in your Steam account. As noted, the game will remain playable in its existing form, minus its online features, so those keen to keep playing (or start as a new player) will be well-served.
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By Leah J. Williams 18 December 2024
