ChronoForge, the multiplayer online RPG by Minted Loot Studios, will officially shut down all services on December 30, 2025. The decision follows a year of financial difficulties and a series of failed funding attempts, as confirmed by both the studio and its founder in a public announcement and detailed postmortem shared through Discord and X.

ChronoForge Team Confirms Shutdown Plans

In a statement on X, the team revealed they have been running the project with personal funds since July, while operating with just 20% of their original staff. Despite launching into Early Access on the Epic Store on September 10 and receiving a 4.2 user rating, ChronoForge struggled to generate enough revenue or attract a publisher, investor, or acquirer to sustain development.

The team stated that while efforts were made to improve the game and prepare for a token launch, they ultimately could not find the funding required to continue. In-game purchases will remain available until the shutdown date, but blockchain rewards have already been suspended.

Founder Speaks on the End of the Project

On Discord, Dogberto, the founder and CEO of both ChronoForge and Minted Loot Studios, shared a full breakdown of the events leading to the closure. He described 2025 as a tough year for both web2 and web3 gaming, with the latter facing sharper challenges in market demand and funding availability.

Since July, the dev team had been working without pay. After laying off 80% of staff since January, they still hoped to secure deals with VC firms, publishers, and blockchain networks. Talks with multiple parties, including chains that pulled out mid-negotiation, eventually fell through. Despite continued development and community support, the studio wasn't able to create a sustainable path forward.

ChronoForge will cease operations completely by the end of this month, and there are no plans to move to a new project.

Why No Token Launch?

Many asked why the studio didn't go ahead with a token launch to raise final funds. According to Dogberto, the Rift Foundation, which had provided previous funding, concluded that there was no way to provide utility for the $CHRONO token now that the game was shutting down.

Without a working game, the Foundation could not justify launching the token, and it had also exhausted its own funds. Dogberto noted that many web3 games that rushed token launches without proper backing caused harm to their communities, something they aimed to avoid by choosing an ethical shutdown instead.

What Was ChronoForge?

ChronoForge was a free to play, hack and slash MMORPG built using Unreal Engine. It's a world mixed with steampunk elements and a time-travel narrative, where player choices could reshape the game's shared world. The game allowed players to join community-run Trading Companies, which are airship hubs that could be upgraded through crafting, voting, and raids.

The smelting facility known as the ChronoForge played a key role in end-game content, granting temporary access to the strongest gear. But if too many Trading Companies activated their ChronoForge at once, it could trigger a global apocalypse event that reset all crafting progress back to zero. This system added real consequences to player voting and coordination, making community decisions a core part of gameplay.

The game had 12 combat classes, community-led governance systems, and a web3 structure built around the $CHRONO token. NFTs played a core role in the economy, including access to the game's Play & Earn leaderboard system.

Failed Launch Windows and Missing Support

ChronoForge's shutdown comes just 3 months after its Early Access release. The studio had previously set major milestones in place throughout 2024 and 2025, including migration to the Abstract Chain in January and a planned $CHRONO token launch later in the year.

Back in August, the team launched pre-orders for the Founder's Edition, offering premium class access and a 50% revenue share for partners promoting the game. But these efforts weren't enough to generate the financial runway needed to last through the year.

Marketing efforts were limited. The team operated without a budget for promotions and received little support from platform partners. Attempts to compensate with community programs, creator incentives, and a shift to the Abstract Chain didn't drive the revenue the studio needed.

Development Challenges and Rewrite Delays

The studio began with a modest budget of around $2 million and partnered with a Malaysian co-developer for Unreal Engine development. Over time, it became clear that the codebase was not fit for multiplayer production. This led to a large-scale rewrite of over 75% of the game's systems, using AAA-level coders brought in mid-2024.

This rewrite consumed most of the remaining budget and delayed the project by over a year. Attempts to prepare for token launches in April and November 2024 both failed after last-minute technical issues in multiplayer playtests. Despite delivering new features and securing a solid player rating post-launch, the damage to timelines and investor confidence had already been done.

Funding Collapse Across Web3 Gaming

ChronoForge's shutdown is part of a larger trend across the blockchain gaming space. The postmortem noted that the crypto winter of 2022-2023 and the collapse of enforced royalty systems wiped out 90% of web3 game projects. Even after conditions slightly improved, major funding deals dried up.

By 2025, publishers and chains required fully working, high-revenue games before considering partnerships. This was a sharp shift from earlier years, when many titles could secure millions while still in mid-development. ChronoForge's $4.4 million in total funding fell short of peers like Fableborne, which reportedly secured over $17.9 million to support its launch.

Even as the crypto market rebounded late in 2025, gaming funding remained frozen. Token launch venues raised fees by as much as 5x and introduced high requirements for engagement and liquidity, which were too steep for mid-sized studios. Many teams that tried to push forward were ultimately forced to shut down or exit quietly.

Final Thoughts from the Founder

In his message to the community, Dogberto thanked supporters and acknowledged the emotional toll of ending a project 4 years in the making. He emphasized that the decision was not taken lightly and that every avenue was explored to keep the game alive. The closure, he said, reflected deep-rooted problems in the web3 gaming model, especially for high-cost, high-fidelity games.

Dogberto also confirmed that the studio will not be pivoting to another project and that his focus will now return to family and non-game development work. He invited anyone looking to hire talented developers, artists, or other contributors from ChronoForge to reach out.

ChronoForge's final server shutdown is set for December 30. All in-game purchases and support will end on that date.