The video game industry can be a harsh beast, even to the most seasoned professionals. Games come and go, some never see the light of day, and some don’t have enough to make it in the market. Unfortunately, lack of sales have claimed another title. After just being released via Steam Early Access on November 7, Pixelmage Games’ Hero’s Song is sadly coming to an end. On December 26, John Smedley, the former head of Daybreak Games, tweeted:

It breaks my heart to have to do this 🙁 https://t.co/pTWymRiYn3

— John Smedley (@j_smedley) December 26, 2016

Things weren’t looking up for Hero’s Song from the beginning when their Kickstarter campaign was cancelled due to a slow start. Out of their goal of $800,000, they had raised a little under $137,000. After cancelling the Kickstarter, the team at Pixelmage Games worked tirelessly to bring the fans what they wanted. This led to the November release on Steam Early Access, but the lack of funding and sales, combined with the mixed reviews on Steam, brought this title into the ground with nothing to climb out with. To add to this, the studio itself will be closing its doors. The letter posted on Pixelmage Games’ homepage says:

It’s with a heavy heart that I have to report that Pixelmage Games is going to be shutting down and we have ceased development on Hero’s Song. For the last year, our team has worked tirelessly to make the game we’ve dreamed about making, and with your support, and the support of our investors, we were able to get the game into Early Access. Unfortunately sales fell short of what we needed to continue development. We knew going in that most startups don’t make it, and as an indie game studio we hoped we would be the exception to that rule, but as it turned out we weren’t.”

The 2D pixel art action RPG had an Indiegogo campaign that raised $94,156 out of a $200,000 flexible goal. Since the Indiegogo campaign was funded, backers will receive their refund in full. You can find more information on how to do so right here. For those who have purchased the title on Steam, you can go through the normal return process on Steam, and you will receive your full refund, as well. It’s always sad to see a game fall short, but we wish John Smedley and the rest of his team the best of luck in all of their future endeavors!

Have any of you played Hero’s Song? What are your thoughts? Sad to see it go, or do you believe it to be the right call? Let us know down in the comments! Before showing off your sweet typing skills, though, you should check this out. It is the full list of games that are being released in January 2017. Crazy to think that the year is nearly over. More greatness awaits, and we at Don’t Feed the Gamers intend on bringing it to you hot and fresh every day!