Less than a year after announcing the launch of what it promised would be a new digital distribution platform for PC games that offered “instant access to thousands of digital games” in the form of Steam or Uplay product keys, Razer has decided to pull the plug on its Game Store at the end of this month.
The company didn’t go into any specific reason for the decision, other than to place it within the larger context of a wider “realignment” at Razer, the 14-year-old gaming hardware manufacturer.
“Dear Gamers,” an announcement at the Game Store site reads, “We regret to announce that Razer Game Store … will cease operations on February 28, 2019 at 0100hrs Pacific Time as part of the company’s realignment plans.
“It has been a privilege for us to recommend and deliver great digital game deals to you. We have been extremely fortunate to have you as part of our awesome community. Thank you for the support and making all this possible. We will be investing in other ways to deliver great content and introduce game promotions through Razer Gold, our virtual credits system (https://gold.razer.com/). Do visit us there and stay tuned for more news.”
There’s a pretty detailed FAQ at the Game Store site, which makes it clear that games you’ve bought will still work post-shutdown and pre-orders will likewise be fulfilled. Going forward, the only way to get games from Razer will be through the company’s rewards program. While it wasn’t a direct competitor to the likes of Steam and the Epic Games store, it shows just how difficult it can be to make a splash online, even when offering great deals.
