When United Front Games and Square Enix announced more in the Sleeping Dogs universe, fans got their hops up for a return to that setting. What emerged was a free-to-play PC game called Triad Wars announced in October 2013, and it didn’t catch on.

Today, United Front has confirmed the game will not make it out of beta. Everything will wrap up on January 20 at 12 p.m. Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern. “We’ve loved seeing how you’ve played Triad Wars but we know it wasn’t right for many of you,” the studio writes.

Triad Wars used a Clash of Clans-style asynchronous approach to multiplayer. Players worked to build up their turf and safe houses, but there was no direct competitive play. When attacking others, AI was set up to counter the incursion. There were other activities beyond raiding to keep players occupied.

Between now and when the game is sunset, the servers will remain open and players will be granted free gold (the game’s purchased currency). If you did happen to buy any of the premium currency in December, you can get it refunded.

[Source: United Front Games (1), (2)]

Our Take

I’d love to see another retail game in Sleeping Dogs’ world, with a fleshed out story and compelling characters. If I want to play something set up like a base-building mobile game, I know where to find those.