Software:The Cycle: Frontier

From HandWiki
Short description: 2022 video game

The Cycle: Frontier
Developer(s)Yager Development
Publisher(s)Yager Development
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1][2]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJune 8, 2022
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The Cycle: Frontier (formerly titled The Cycle) was a 2022 first-person shooter[3] video game developed and published by Yager Development. Yager describes this game as a "competitive quest shooter" and labels it with the cross-genre "PvEvP", a combination of player versus environment and player versus player.[4] The game was released on Windows via early access in August 2019, and was launched in full on June 8, 2022.[5][6]

In June 2023, Yager announced that the game servers would be sunset on September 27, 2023, at which point it would no longer be playable.

Gameplay

The Cycle: Frontier is a first-person shooter, with a play style that has been compared to Escape from Tarkov.[7] Set in a future where interstellar travel is possible, the game focuses on a group of humans living on a space station called the Prospect Station. Players take on the role of prospectors; mercenaries tasked with the job of landing on a dangerous planet called Fortuna III. Players have to compete against each other, as well as the unforgiving environment, scavenging loot and completing quests before extracting. Any equipment not insured will be permanently lost in case of death. Three major factions, the Independent Civilian Advisory (ICA), Osiris, and Korolev offer contracts they want the player to complete. Players have the option of dropping solo, in a duo or in trios; and game instances last six hours before refreshing.


Development

The initial development plans started shortly after Yager had finished working on Dreadnought. The Cycle: Frontier ended up being revealed at Gamescom 2018, eight months after. The goal was to combine the narrative with social dynamics.[8] It was released into early access on the Epic Games Store in August 2019.[9]

The Steam release initially set for December 2020 was delayed to some time in early 2021 due to changes in development plans and being hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

In June 2023, Yager released a statement that the servers for The Cycle: Frontier are scheduled to be sunset on September 27, 2023. Yager stated that continued support for the game was "unfortunately not financially viable", and that the game would not be playable offline or in private servers due to its "dedicated backend system, which doesn't allow keeping the game somewhat available after being shut down".[11]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic58/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
PC Gamer (US)55/100[13]
PC Games7/10[14]
NMEStarStar[15]

The Cycle: Frontier received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[12] This can also be reflected in the Steam Store Reviews.[16]

PC Gamer lamented its formulaic design, writing, "Without any kind of narrative hook or any kind of subversiveness at all, and little moment to moment reward, a list of unlocks can't possibly compel me to invest that kind of time."[13]

It gained popularity when played by Summit1g on Twitch.[17]

The game peaked at 40,854 active players in June 2022 which slowly averaged downwards over the course of its lifespan.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Over 80 Unreal Engine-powered games featured during 2022 summer gaming events". Unreal Engine. August 15, 2022. https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/over-80-unreal-engine-powered-games-featured-during-2022-summer-gaming-events. 
  2. ↑ "Making it in Unreal: going beyond battle royale in The Cycle". 26 August 2019. https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-cycle/making-it-in-unreal-the-cycle. 
  3. ↑ Senior, Tom (March 20, 2019). "FPS The Cycle tries to predict what's coming after battle royale". PC Gamer (Future plc). https://www.pcgamer.com/fps-the-cycle-tries-to-predict-whats-coming-after-battle-royale/. Retrieved August 5, 2022. 
  4. ↑ "What is the Cycle?". Yager Development. December 10, 2019. https://thecycle.game/overview/. 
  5. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (2019-08-19). "Yager's The Cycle Now Out in Early Access on Epic Games Store - Gamescom 2019". https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/08/19/spec-ops-the-line-devs-the-cycle-now-out-in-early-access-gamescom-2019. 
  6. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (2022-05-25). "Spec Ops: The Line studio to launch The Cycle in June, after nearly 3 years of early access". https://www.polygon.com/23141062/the-cycle-frontier-release-date-yager-pc. 
  7. ↑ Saed, Sherif (June 8, 2022). "The Cycle: Frontier is free-to-play Tarkov without ammo charts - and it's out now". https://www.vg247.com/the-cycle-frontier-steam-launch-free-to-play-sci-fi-tarkov. 
  8. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (October 15, 2018). "Yager: "We're taking everything we've learned into The Cycle"". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-10-15-yager-were-taking-everything-weve-learned-into-the-cycle. 
  9. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (August 19, 2019). "Yager's The Cycle Now Out in Early Access on Epic Games Store". https://ca.ign.com/articles/2019/08/19/spec-ops-the-line-devs-the-cycle-now-out-in-early-access-gamescom-2019. 
  10. ↑ Winter, Jason (November 18, 2020). "The Cycle Delays Steam Launch Due To Pandemic Challenges". https://www.mmobomb.com/news/cycle-delays-steam-launch-due-pandemic-challenges-will-expand-season-3/. 
  11. ↑ "The Cyle: Frontier Sunset announcement". https://thecycle.game/news-and-media/sunset-announcement/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "The Cycle: Frontier for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-cycle-frontier/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Greer, Sam (July 4, 2022). "The Cycle review". Future plc. https://www.pcgamer.com/the-cycle-frontier-review/. 
  14. ↑ Krasniqi, Granit; Schmid, Lukas (June 25, 2022). "The Cycle: Frontier im Test: Konkurrenz für Escape from Tarkov?" (in de). PC Games (Computec Media GmbH). https://www.pcgames.de/The-Cycle-Frontier-Spiel-73652/Tests/yager-PvPvE-Battle-Royale-Loot-1397069/3/. Retrieved August 5, 2022. 
  15. ↑ Reuben, Nic (June 13, 2022). "'The Cycle: Frontier' review: not exactly vicious, but close". https://www.nme.com/reviews/game-reviews/the-cycle-frontier-review-3246467. 
  16. ↑ "The Cycle: Frontier on Steam" (in en). https://store.steampowered.com/app/868270/The_Cycle_Frontier/#app_reviews_hash. 
  17. ↑ Leitsch, Alexander (October 20, 2021). "NEW SHOOTER FROM GERMANY IS STILL SMALL ON STEAM, BUT IS ENJOYING GREAT SUCCESS ON TWITCH". https://mein-mmo.de/shooter-aus-deutschland-erfolge-auf-twitch/. 
  18. ↑ "SteamDB". https://steamdb.info/app/868270/charts/#max. 
  • Official website
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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