- Gala Games has announced the upcoming shutdown of The Walking Dead: Empires by July 31, 2025
- Players holding NFTs from the game will receive alternative NFTs with similar functionality in other Gala Games titles
- The compensation plan has faced backlash from users concerned about the loss of value in their original NFT assets.
Gala Games is putting a bullet in the head of The Walking Dead: Empires, its blockchain-based survival game. The platform will sunset the game on July 31, 2025, and Gala Games has proposed a replacement NFT compensation system for asset holders. However, players have expressed frustration with the perceived inadequacy of the replacements offered, given their financial outlay.
Riding the NFT Wave
The Walking Dead: Empires launched in mid-2022 during the height of the NFT gaming boom. As part of Gala Games’ ecosystem, it integrated Ethereum-based NFTs that allowed players to own and trade in-game assets like land plots, characters, and weapons. The title attracted attention due to its association with the popular AMC television franchise and the growing interest in blockchain gaming. Some NFTs sold for thousands of dollars, with legendary land deeds reaching prices upwards of $60,000.
After less than three years, however, Gala Games has confirmed that the game will wind down, remaining online until July 31, 2025. After that date, servers will shut down, and all official support will end. The company has announced a plan for players left holding NFTs: they will be granted new tokens of “equal functionality” usable in other Gala titles. The company emphasized that this move was intended to honor its commitment to players while transitioning away from underperforming projects.
The move to shutter the project is not surprising, given that the NFT market has still not recovered from its 2022 heyday, with many projects still over 90% down on their average floor prices.
Players Not Happy
Despite the compensation offer, the community’s response has been largely negative. Many players voiced concern that the new NFTs would not reflect the real-world financial value of their original purchases. One user noted, “People paid upwards of $10K+ for lands and are now getting $2 mystery boxes,” a sentiment echoed by several others on social platforms. The perceived devaluation of assets has reignited criticism of NFT-based gaming models, especially those that promised long-term utility and value.
Gala Games has said more information about the NFT redemption process will be released soon, but in the meantime, they are encouraging players to enjoy the game’s final months and share feedback.
