Free-to-play kart racer Stampede: Racing Royale is shutting down this summer

After less than a year, the free-to-play kart racer Stampede: Racing Royale is reaching the end of the road.

In an update posted on Steam, Sumo Leamington announced that live-service support will end due to a “variety of unexpected events, with the servers set to shut down in “approximately three months.” An exact server end date is yet to be confirmed. This also means that Season 1 will be the first and last live-service season.

“The entire Sumo Leamington team want to extend their thanks and appreciation to the Stampede: Racing Royale community. Since the game’s reveal and early playtests almost two years ago, your support and passion for Stampede has been an inspiration to us all,” Sumo Leamington wrote.

“Whilst we are deeply disappointed to end this journey, we are incredibly grateful for the memories and moments you allowed us to make together. Thank you.”

In the meantime, new Season 1 content will be rolling out on Steam and Xbox in the “coming days. This will include four new race circuits: Twin Thruway, Neon Circuit, Wentworth Park and Stratos Raceway, with the latter incorporating anti-gravity elements.

Elsewhere, the Season 1 update will add eight new karts alongside 130 new visual items including a new season pass and Xbox achievements.

Following a series of playtests, Stampede: Racing Royale came to Xbox Game Preview last July, before launching on Steam in October last year. In-app purchases were removed for the PC release.

Developed by a team of racing game veterans at the newly formed Sumo Leamington, part of the Sumo Digital group, Stampede’s unique gimmick was its riotous 60-player races featuring battle royale-style elimination rounds. These were combined with destructive powerups, colourful graphics and comprehensive customisation.   

We enjoyed Stampede’s chaotic kart racing while it lasted. It’s sad to see support end before its full potential was realised.

Stampede is one of several recent live-service game casualties, including Sony’s first-person hero shooter Concord and, also announced today (13^th March), the tactical shooter Spectre Divide.

While Stampede is being retired from the race, kart racing fans can look forward to Sonic Racing: Crossworlds this year and a new Mario Kart game for Nintendo Switch 2, although neither have confirmed release dates yet.

Are you sad to see Stampede: Racing Royale reach the end of the road? Let us know in the comments below.