In a rare reversal of live service demise, a beloved but “dead” live service FPS will not shut down, but instead receive custom server support that ensures it’ll be playable forever. Long live Deceive Inc.
The story of Deceive Inc. played out like countless other live service games. The PvP Hitman-like shooter launched to good reviews, was beloved by a modest community (including yours truly), and received substantial seasonal updates for over a year. Then in 2024, the updates suddenly ceased and its developer, Sweet Bandits, closed its doors.
“After a long and difficult road of trying to get Deceive Inc. in a state where it could thrive, we have reached the breaking point for the studio,” Sweet Bandits wrote in a December 2024 Steam update.
At the time, Sweet Bandits said it was “exploring options” for maintaining the game long term, but noted that the path would be “charted by our partners at Tripwire Interactive.” Servers remained online, but for how long was anybody’s guess.