The Cycle: Frontier

The Cycle: Frontier (formerly titled The Cycle) was a 2022 first-person shooter[2] video game developed and published by Yager Development. Yager describes this game as a "competitive quest shooter" and labels it with the cross-genre "PvEvP", a combination of player versus environment and player versus player.[3] The game was released on Windows via early access in August 2019, and was launched in full on June 8, 2022.[4][5]

The Cycle: Frontier
Developer(s)Yager Development
Publisher(s)Yager Development
EngineUnreal Engine[1]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJune 8, 2022
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

In June 2023, Yager announced that the game servers will be sunset on September 27, 2023, at which point it will no longer be playable.

Gameplay

The Cycle: Frontier is a first-person shooter, with a play style that has been compared to Escape from Tarkov.[6] Set in a future where interstellar travel is possible, the game focuses on a group of humans living on a space station called the Prospect Station. Players take on the role of prospectors; mercenaries tasked with the job of landing on a dangerous planet called Fortuna III. Players have to compete against each other, as well as the unforgiving environment, scavenging loot and completing quests before extracting. Any equipment not insured will be permanently lost in case of death. Three major factions, the Independent Civilian Advisory (ICA), Osiris, and Korolev offer contracts they want the player to complete. Players have the option of dropping solo, in a duo or in trios; and game instances last six hours before refreshing.

The Cycle: Frontier launched with two maps, and has features including crafting, customising load-out and character appearance, as well as a "battle pass" system.

Development

The initial development plans started shortly after Yager had finished working on Dreadnought. The Cycle: Frontier ended up being revealed at Gamescom 2018, eight months after. The goal was to combine the narrative with social dynamics.[7] It was released into early access on the Epic Games Store in August 2019.[8]

The Steam release initially set for December 2020 was delayed to some time in early 2021 due to changes in development plans and being hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

In June 2023, Yager released a statement that the servers for The Cycle: Frontier are scheduled to be sunset on September 27, 2023. Yager stated that continued support for the game was "unfortunately not financially viable", and that the game would not be playable offline or in private servers due to its "dedicated backend system, which doesn't allow keeping the game somewhat available after being shut down".[10]

Reception

The Cycle: Frontier received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[11]

PC Gamer lamented its formulaic design, writing, "Without any kind of narrative hook or any kind of subversiveness at all, and little moment to moment reward, a list of unlocks can't possibly compel me to invest that kind of time."[12]

It gained popularity when played by Summit1g on Twitch.[15]

References
  1. "Over 80 Unreal Engine-powered games featured during 2022 summer gaming events". Unreal Engine. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. Senior, Tom (March 20, 2019). "FPS The Cycle tries to predict what's coming after battle royale". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  3. "What is the Cycle?". The Cycle. Yager Development. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. Dornbush, Jonathon (August 19, 2019). "Yager's The Cycle Now Out in Early Access on Epic Games Store - Gamescom 2019". IGN. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  5. McWhertor, Michael (May 25, 2022). "Spec Ops: The Line studio to launch The Cycle in June, after nearly 3 years of early access". Polygon. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. Saed, Sherif (June 8, 2022). "The Cycle: Frontier is free-to-play Tarkov without ammo charts - and it's out now". VG247. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  7. Handrahan, Matthew (October 15, 2018). "Yager: "We're taking everything we've learned into The Cycle"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  8. Dornbush, Jonathon (August 19, 2019). "Yager's The Cycle Now Out in Early Access on Epic Games Store". IGN. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  9. Winter, Jason (November 18, 2020). "The Cycle Delays Steam Launch Due To Pandemic Challenges". MMOBomb. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. "The Cyle: Frontier Sunset announcement". thecycle.game. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  11. "The Cycle: Frontier for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  12. Greer, Sam (July 4, 2022). "The Cycle review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  13. Krasniqi, Granit; Schmid, Lukas (June 25, 2022). "The Cycle: Frontier im Test: Konkurrenz für Escape from Tarkov?" [The Cycle: Frontier Review: Competition for Escape from Tarkov?]. PC Games (in German). Computec Media GmbH. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  14. Reuben, Nic (June 13, 2022). "'The Cycle: Frontier' review: not exactly vicious, but close". NME. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  15. Leitsch, Alexander (October 20, 2021). "NEW SHOOTER FROM GERMANY IS STILL SMALL ON STEAM, BUT IS ENJOYING GREAT SUCCESS ON TWITCH". meinmmo. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
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