Update October 19, 2016: United Front have posted a Steam update to tell their community that they’re offering full refunds on Smash+Grab for anyone who wants their money back.
Smash+Grab was in Early Access and the developers won’t be giving the game any more updates, so it’s only fair that people who bought it thinking it would eventually be finished now have the option of a refund.
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“A huge thank you to everyone who played and bought Smash+Grab over the last several weeks,” said United Front on Steam. “We hope everyone had a great time playing. As we will not be doing any further development or support, we have asked Valve to make refunds available to any owners who request them, regardless of how many hours played.
“If you would like a refund, please use the usual Steam refund tools. Thanks to everyone for the support!”
Original Story October 18, 2016: Unconfirmed rumours and tweets are flying around the internet that United Front Games, creators of the well-received Sleeping Dogs and much less successful Triad Wars and Smash + Grab, have shuttered. Smash + Grab has been pulled from Early Access sale on Steam while a producer at the company, Jen Timms, mourned it on Twitter.
Timms’ short eulogy is embedded below, and she has since been thanking colleagues and fans for their well-wishes, while not explicitly stating the future of the company or confirming its total closure.
Currently mourning the best job I've ever had, and the most wonderful team I've ever worked with.
The end of a great era.
Goodbye, UFG.— SCAREless Jen (@Scarlettjen) 18 October 2016
United Front’s latest game, Smash + Grab, is still listed on Steam but can no longer be bought or downloaded. It launched in late September and seemed to have a playerbase of around 20,000 before a free weekend made SteamSpy data even more unreliable than normal. Presumably, there was some hope a more successful launch could save the company.
A NeoGAF thread further confirmed the closure. Moderator bishoptl mentioned that he used to work there, hence knowing that this was coming, and wished his “friends and former colleagues” well.
We’ve reached out to United Front Games for any further information. Expect an official announcement some time soon.
Thanks, PCG.