In 2016, Bulkhead launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Battalion 1944 and met with unexpected success, hitting the funding goal in just three days and going on to raise approximately $375,000. Part of the success of the campaign, however, was due to the developer’s promise to eventually launch PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game to accompany the 2019 PC release. To this day, backers are still waiting to play Battalion 1944 on console.

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It seems that is never going to come to pass. On August 9, Bulkhead Interactive announced that it has cut ties with Square Enix and will be releasing a new version of the game called Battalion: Legacy on August 16. The refreshed iteration will be free-to-play, down from $19.99 for Battalion 1944, and will be available on Steam. Additionally, all console Kickstarter backers will be receiving a refund, and the message concluded by thanking the game’s fans for their support and apologizing for leaving everyone hanging for so long.

From the announcement, it’s not entirely clear why Bulkhead decided to part ways with Square Enix. However, right after the sentence announcing the split, the company said, “We want to start this exciting new chapter where we began, focusing on the players.” That might provide a hint into the possible conflict between the publisher and developer of the World War 2 multiplayer game.

On the Battalion 1944 Steam page, there is a new developer update that expands on what players can expect from the new Legacy launch of the game. It will be the “revisited and final version” of Battalion 1944, implying that players shouldn’t expect any additional updates to the game. Bulkhead has added another faction, new weapons, and a game mode called Search & Destroy. There has also been an overhaul of the game’s graphics and UI, and a server browser has been implemented to facilitate finding or hosting matches.

While it may be disappointing to some to hear that there will be no console version of Battalion 1944 after all, many gamers will probably not be surprised to hear it. The game launched three years ago with no updates from Bulkhead about the status of the PS4 and Xbox One ports. Currently, Battalion 1944 has a Mixed rating on Steam, and a lot of the reviews are requesting a free-to-play version of the game, so at least some players will be appeased with the change. In the meantime, there are plenty of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty games for Battalion 1944 fans to play on console.

Battalion: Legacy will release for PC on August 16, 2022.

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Sources: Steam, Eurogamer