Epic pulls Infinity Blade series from the App Store
Fans assured that the pioneering mobile franchise will be "popping up in places you wouldn't expect"
Epic Games has pulled the Infinity Blade series from the App Store, while teasing fans that the games could reappear "in places you wouldn't expect."
The first Infinity Blade was a milestone for gaming on iOS devices back in 2010. It had a level of polish and technical execution not yet seen on the iPhone, and earned $1.6 million from premium downloads in less than a week.
Two more games followed, both exclusive to iOS devices, but Epic has now pulled all three from the App Store and disabled in-app purchases, starting yesterday.
In a statement, the publisher said that current owners will be able to continue playing and downloading them through their accounts "for the foreseeable future."
Epic's official line is that supporting all three games has become "increasingly difficult" as internal studio Chair Entertainment pushes forward with the development of SpyJinx.
"The Infinity Blade series will always hold a special place for me personally and for Epic as a whole," said Donald Mustard, Epic's global creative director, who founded Chair Entertainment before it was acquired in 2008.
"It's always bittersweet to say goodbye, but we are excited for Spyjinx and what the future holds."
What the future holds for Infinity Blade is an interesting question. At the end of its statement Epic advised the series' fans to "be sure to keep your eyes peeled. You may find Infinity Blade popping up in places you wouldn't expect."
It is an ambiguous comment, but one that could be linked to the recent launch of Epic's own distribution platform. The Epic Games Store will be the home of Fortnite, of course, but it remains to be seen whether the company has similar plans for its other IPs.