Sniper Elite battle royale reportedly canned as Concord flop rattles industry nerves over live-service games

A Sniper Elite battle royale spin-off has reportedly been cancelled, after Chinese gaming giant Tencent pulled funding.

That’s according to Insider Gaming, which states that Project Archipelago: Sniper Battle Royale was recently scrapped following public playtests over the summer.

That report claims Tencent got cold feet on the project after seeing the high-profile flop of PlayStation’s recent live-service bid Concord.

Sniper Elite developer Rebellion declined to comment on the report. Eurogamer has contacted it and Tencent for more.

British developer Rebellion announced “pre-alpha access” to Project Archipelago via a three-day playtest back in mid-August this year, though has been quiet on the game since.

A trailer for the project showed squads of snipers picking off enemies from afar, in rusted, near-future environments that featured a mix of weathered contemporary buildings but also sci-fi-looking airships.

It’s understood that there have been no job losses as a result of the cancellation, with developers moved over to the next main Sniper Elite game, Sniper Elite: Resistance, which is due to launch on 28th January 2025.

“Currently, we are still in the process of learning,” Sony boss Hiroki Totoki said this month of Concord’s launch and sudden removal from sale. “And basically, with regards to new IP, of course, you don’t know the result until you actually try it.”