The online video game beloved by former FTX head Sam Bankman-Fried will soon be no more, after its developer was unable to find a way to continue operating following the crypto exchange’s collapse.
Digital card auto-battling game Storybook Brawl will close down its servers on May 1, a statement published in its Discord server by co-founder Matthew Nass said on Tuesday. Storybook Brawl’s developer Good Luck Games LLC was acquired by FTX’s US parent in March last year, with the aim of wrapping it into the firm’s nascent gaming unit.
“We’ve explored different options, and unfortunately there is no path forward,” Nass said in the statement. A spokesperson for Storybook Brawl didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Bankman-Fried’s sprawling crypto empire filed for bankruptcy in November, having been overwhelmed with requests for withdrawals from users after questions were raised about the health of its sister trading platform Alameda Research’s balance sheet. It later emerged that FTX had allegedly allowed Alameda unfettered access to customer deposits in order to fund its trades, prompting the arrest of Bankman-Fried on a number of criminal charges.
- Read more: From Math Camp to Handcuffs: FTX’s Downfall Was an Arc of Brotherhood and Betrayal
The free-to-play game had grown quite popular since its initial release in mid-2021, and quickly became a favorite of Bankman-Fried. He was known to have played the video game during important meetings or while taking calls, a habit that became a hallmark of his public persona.
Enormous backlash from fans of the game followed FTX US’s acquisition of its developer. Immediately after the announcement, fans posted negative reviews en masse on the game’s Steam marketplace page voicing their disapproval. Its review score shifted from “Very Positive” to “Overwhelmingly Negative” as players’ cited concerns about the inclusion of nonfungible tokens — digital collectibles traded on blockchain networks like Ethereum, — impacting the gameplay and community.
Currently, the top Steam review reads: “Here’s one for hoping that this game is saved from FTX since it went bankrupt.”