A dead MMO that launched with a now-cancelled TV show in 2013 is coming back 4 years after servers were shut down

(Image credit: Fawkes)

Trion Worlds' Defiance was an odd duck. It launched in 2013 alongside a TV show tie-in with the same name, set on a future Earth following an alien invasion—during which the planet was aggressively terraformed. Both the game and the show were a mix of grungy post-apocalyptic western and futuristic sci-fi.

A neat hook in the form of the interplay between the show and the game piqued my attention back in the day. I'd keep tuning into the show, trying to figure out what events would impact the game. Unfortunately, there was a surprising lack of meaningful crossover, beyond some familiar characters popping up. I vaguely recall a plague appearing in both, but mostly Defiance seemed to function like any other MMO.

Defiance | Live Action Trailer - YouTube

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Only a couple of years later, the show was cancelled, but the MMO persevered. And it stuck around for a while, until 2021, when the servers were shut down. Defiance was never one of the heavy-hitters, and I haven't thought about it for a good long while, but it looks like it's been living in enough folks' heads that it's making a comeback.

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Fawkes, "an indie studio and publisher dedicated to reviving treasured titles", has decided that Defiance fits its brief, and has set itself the task of bringing the game back to life. It acquired the rights to both the original 2013 version of the game and the relaunched Defiance 2050 version that appeared in 2018.

"After many heartfelt discussions on forums like r/Defiance and watching enthusiastic video reviews as this one on YouTube together with the comments," Fawkes says, "we realized that the spirit of Defiance still burns bright."

Defiance will make its comeback in April, with Fawkes launching the original 2013 version of the MMO. Its plan is to work with the community, starting small, with a PC launch, and then growing based on feedback. The return of the console version might be on the cards, too, but that ultimately depends on its reception on PC.

While I wasn't a fan of Defiance, I do miss the days when we had countless MMOs to pick from, and it's always a shame when an MMO closes down—Defiance still had die-hards right until the end. So it's nice to see it getting a second chance, much like the superb City of Heroes.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.