Evil Dead: The Game arrived in 2022 to mixed reviews but strong fan support for its asymmetric multiplayer. Now, just three years later, the survival horror game is disappearing from store shelves, presumably because of expiring licenses.
“We can confirm we’ve begun the process of removing the game from digital storefronts,” Saber Interactive announced on the Evil Dead Steam page on Wednesday. “Anyone who has purchased the game will still be able to play it as we plan to keep our servers online for everyone. We want to extend a sincere thank you to our community, to those who have been part of the game from the very beginning, and those who have recently joined us. We appreciate all of your support.”
While the development team didn’t provide any specifics on the timing, Evil Dead fans noticed the game’s takedown process had already begun earlier in the week with no option to buy it either on PlayStation or the Epic Games Store. There’s currently still an option to buy the multiplayer spin-off on Xbox for a discounted price of $10, though that will presumably go away soon too. The game first launched back in May 2022.
At the time, reviews ranged from very positive to somewhat underwhelmed. PC Gamer called it the “best multiplayer horror experience since at least Dead By Daylight” and one of 2022's biggest sleepers, while GameSpot called it the horror franchise’s most faithful adaptation but poorly balanced and overly grindy. Despite the early promise, Saber abandoned content updates for the game less than 18 months in and canceled a Switch version.
Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch said he was pleased with the sales and player reactions to Evil Dead: The Game at the time, dismissing the relevance of poor review scores. “I can name numerous titles to you that have scored the ‘eights’ and the ‘nines’ that publishers or developers wish they never released because it’s nice to put a plaque on your wall,” he told investors. “But if you can’t buy the nail to hang the plaque on, then what’s the point of having the plaque in the first place?”
For now, everyone who owns the game can continue playing its online matches and single-player missions. Both require an internet connection, however, so whenever Saber does decide to shut off the servers, Evil Dead’s best video game adaptation will go with it. Friday the 13th reached a similar fate back in 2023, but switched to peer-to-peer matchmaking to let the online experience be preserved.
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