Deceive Inc., the PvPvE Hitman-like shooter developed by the now-closed Sweet Bandits studio, will be kept alive indefinitely through community-hosted dedicated servers. This move comes as a rare reversal of the typical fate for live service games that shut down when their developers cease operations.
Sweet Bandits announced its closure in a December 2024 Steam update, stating that they had "reached the breaking point for the studio." At the time, the developer mentioned exploring options for the game's long-term future with its partner Tripwire Interactive, but the game's servers remained online with an uncertain lifespan.
An update posted on July 16 revealed that the backend of Deceive Inc. is actively being rebuilt to support custom server hosting. "Although Sweet Bandits had to close their doors, we don't believe Deceive Inc. should quietly disappear because the services behind it aren’t sustainable forever," the post reads. The goal is to allow players to host their own servers using a dedicated server application and to browse and join community-hosted matches directly within the game.
This undertaking involves significant backend work, as modern multiplayer games often rely on integrated matchmaking systems rather than flexible server infrastructure that accommodates custom lobbies. The process touches on various aspects of the game, including how players find matches, join servers, manage progression, and unlock content. The development team aims to maintain all player account progress, unlocks, and stats throughout this transition.
The team is prioritizing the completion of this migration and has limited capacity to incorporate additional feedback or requests during this period. Additionally, the upcoming update will aim to remove as many technical barriers to modding as reasonably possible, potentially opening the door for long-term fan-driven updates. This effort represents a commitment to ensuring the future of Deceive Inc. rests in the hands of its continuing community.