Battalion: Legacy Developer Announces Full Refund For All Kickstarter Backers

Bulkhead, the developer of Battalion: Legacy (formerly known as Battalion 1944) is refunding all Kickstarter backers--regardless of their platform of choice or pledge level--due to the game's failure to meet expectations.

The announcement was made via a tweet from the official Battalion: Legacy Twitter account, which featured instructions for backer refunds and a short video featuring an explanation and apology from the game's developers.

"I always wonder how people see Battalion," game director Joe Brammer said regarding the FPS' genre and reception. "It's really easy to focus on the negatives."

This isn't the first time Bulkhead has refunded supporters. The developer previously refunded all console backers when Battalion 1944 failed to launch for consoles due to Bulkhead parting ways with publisher Square Enix in August 2022. Battalion: Legacy was originally Kickstarted in 2016 as Battalion 1944, with plans to be published for PC and console by Square Enix. But as development progressed, the relationship between publisher and developer fell apart, leading to Bulkhead's decision to release the game for free on PC, rebranded as Battalion: Legacy.

"For us, Battalion started life as six friends with a love of old-school multiplayer shooters," Brammer says of the development team. "We wanted to make something that celebrated everything about these great games."

After the August 2022 re-branding and PC release, Bulkhead released Battalion: Legacy's final update. The game's Twitter profile has been mostly silent since then, making the sudden refund for all backers a bit of a surprise, especially given the fact that the game isn't being sunset or otherwise shut down.

"I want players to understand that we apologize for being unable to meet the expectations of the players and ourselves, and that we flew too close to the sun and we attempted more than we could handle at that time," Brammer said of the studio's decision to provide refunds.

Interestingly, the video also reveals that Bulkhead partnered with Splash Damage, makers of Gears Tactics, Brink, and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars to brainstorm ways Bulkhead could mend their relationship with players. The original goal was saving enough money to refund all Kickstarter backers, but upon hearing this, Splash Damage volunteered to help Bulkhead foot the bill for the refund. Despite the game's rocky development and launch, the generous move underscores Bulkhead's long-term dedication to its playerbase, especially compared to games like Apex Legends Mobile, which was sunset by EA just under a year after launch, with no refunds offered to players.

"Sometimes you have to admit when something just isn't right, and move on," creative director Howard Philpott said of the studio's decision to let Battalion: Legacy go.

Battalion: Legacy is free-to-play on PC and can be downloaded via Steam, where it currently has mixed reviews. Though no further updates are planned and the game's playerbase is rather small, Bulkhead has not announced any plans to remove the game from Steam.