[Update]: After many struggles, Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade has now closed its doors.

Eternal Crusade's story is truly a tragic one. Despite the concept having a great deal of potential and the game itself being surprisingly fun to play even in the earliest beta, the developers never quite managed to iron out all of the major bugs and deliver on the level of polish Eternal Crusade needed in order to function as a multiplayer shooter.

This then started a chain reaction that simply couldn't be stopped. Players would get interested in the game and check it out, realize it's unfinished and depart for greener pastures, which would then leave the developers with no resources to pour into fixing the problems, which then meant that Eternal Crusade would continue it's rapid and seemingly endless slide downwards.

With all of that in mind, it should come as little surprise to hear that Behaviour Interactive have now decided to put an end to Eternal Crusade. According to the newest Steam announcement, Eternal Crusade will be closing down its doors on September 10, 2021, after which it will no longer be playable.

"We are proud of all of the work that went into Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade, and for the amazing community that rallied behind the game," reads the brief developer update. "Thank you for everything, we appreciate all of your support through the years."

While there is nothing we can do to fix or save Eternal Crusade at this point, things are at least looking up for Warhammer 40k shooters thanks to the newly launched Necromunda: Hired Gun. It's not multiplayer and it doesn't feature the sheer diversity in factions and playstyles as Eternal Crusade, but it's leagues better in terms of gameplay flow and polish, so if you're itching for a bit of Warhammer 40k shooty action Necromunda is well worth checking out.

As for Eternal Crusade, you can read the full developer update and keep an eye on it during its final days over at Steam.