The Stomping Land, an ambitious dinosaur game that launched on Steam in May, is no longer available for sale following months without updates or news from the developers behind it.
The Steam page is still live, but you can no longer buy the game.
It's yet another case of a game in Early Access—the Steam service that lets players buy into games before they're actually completed—flopping in high-profile fashion.
The last significant update for The Stomping Land, which cost $25 as part of Steam's Early Access program, went live in June. Since then, the developers have been quiet about their progress, apparently ignoring fan outcry on the Steam discussion boards and elsewhere. In July, the game's main PR/community representative quit, writing on the Steam boards that the developers were "not very communicative" and saying he was sick of stringing fans along.
Last month, The Stomping Land lead developer Alex "Jig" Fundora promised to Kotaku that he and his team were still working on the game, though he would not explain the rationale behind their lack of communication. However, Fundora and his team have remained radio silent since then.
In 2013, Fundora raised over $114,000 on Kickstarter for the project, which he then estimated would be released in May of 2014. Patricia liked what she's seen so far of The Stomping Land, though it's clearly unfinished.
Valve hasn't yet explained why they're no longer selling The Stomping Land, and there's no word on whether people who purchased the game on Early Access will receive refunds. We've reached out to them and to the developers for more information.