The multiplayer shooter with radioactive attack bears and moose-drawn artillery is closing after less than a year in early access

Remember Striden, the game with the radioactive attack bears and moose artillery? It charmed both PC Gamer editor Tyler Wilde and myself when we saw it in 2024 with its amusingly odd mash-up of Rust, Stalker, and extremely dangerous wildlife. But it wasn’t able to draw in a critical mass of players, and less than a year after its early access launch, developer 5 Fortress says it’s ending development, closing the game servers, and laying off all employees.

5 Fortress laid out a familiar tale in its farewell message, saying it saw trouble ahead shortly after the early access launch in July 2025. “Several major publishers” had expressed interest in Striden but were put off by low player numbers—but without publisher support for funding and marketing it had no real shot at boosting player counts. “A Catch-22 situation,” the studio said, that hobbled its efforts to win back players.