The top of October spelled some worrisome portents for Hi-Rez studios as the company announced layoffs as well as team reductions for the original SMITE and Paladins. Now it looks as if two more games from the company’s sub-studios are on the chopping block: Realm Royale Reforged and Divine Knockout, which will both sunset next year.
Both titles posted twin announcements that confirmed a closure date of Monday, February 17th, 2025, both citing the aforementioned re-organization of Hi-Rez. Both games made cosmetics and character unlocks completely free a couple of months ago, and players will still be able to enjoy those benefits until the servers go dark.
Both of these Hi-Rez titles stayed online for some time: DKO was online for two years, while Realm Royale stayed around for six years. Regardless, it is still a sad day to see two more games shutter as a result of corporate shrinkage.
