Aliens: Fireteam Elite Switch version shuts down with no refunds, weeks before sequel launch

Cold Iron Studios has taken down the servers for the cloud version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite on Nintendo Switch, leaving paying customers locked out of the game with no compensation.

The title retailed for $30, while an Ultimate edition with extra content cost $60. The developer has not offered refunds to buyers. According to TheGamer, affected players are only eligible for a discount on the Switch 2 version of the game — the same 2021 co-op shooter they already purchased once.

The shutdown was announced back in March, when Cold Iron Studios informed players that servers would go offline on August 5. An in-game pop-up message thanked fans for their support and noted that access would remain available until 23:59 JST that day, after which the game would become unreachable. The publisher apologized for the inconvenience and expressed hope that players would continue enjoying its other titles.

Since the delisting, the game is completely unplayable: neither solo play nor online co-op works. The cloud version on the hybrid console relied on remote servers, so there is no local save data or offline mode to fall back on.

The closure comes just weeks before the release of the sequel, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, scheduled for August 25. Taking down the original Switch version could push some disappointed players toward buying the follow-up, though there is no direct evidence of such a strategy.