Another once-dead shooter has returned, this time via Fortnite. Yager Development launched a "special tribute project" to bring back its defunct game The Cycle: Frontier within Epic Games' battle royale.
Using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), the Berlin studio created an in-game location, dubbed "The Cycle: Prospect Island," which "captures the essence" of its 2022 extraction shooter.
Yager is focused on "various co-development ventures and new projects," according to a spokesperson, but said the team wanted to "keep [The Cycle's] spirit alive. This island is a way of honoring the game that many players, and us at Yager, cherished deeply."
The story of The Cycle: Frontier, pre-Fortnite
The Cycle: Frontier was a revamp of Yager's 2019 Early Access project (then-titled The Cycle) that was sunsetted in 2023. At the time, the game was deemed "financially not viable" in part because cheaters allegedly drove the playerbase away.
Elements from Frontier are present in Prospect Island, such as extraction mechanics and in-game factions and enemies. However, Yager stressed that Prospect Island is just a tribute, and in no way a replacement for its former game.
While it's "deeply touched" by messages calling for The Cycle's return, the studio said it "can't make promises" about its future. "We want our community to know that their passion is heard and appreciated," said a company spokesperson.
Those interested in Prospect Island can access it in Fortnite via the island code "8495-9375-7199."