Amazon launched a major game in May, and it flopped — now the company is pulling the game from stores and putting it back in 'closed beta'

• On May 20, Amazon launched a major new video game that was in development for over five years: "Crucible."
• Just one week later, the game completely dropped off the charts and was deemed a flop out of the gate.
• Now Amazon is pulling the game from digital storefronts and putting the game back in "closed beta" — a term used in game development to signify a game isn't complete.

Amazon, the biggest company in the world, launched a big-budget free-to-play video game called "Crucible" at the end of May.

Now approximately one month after launch, "Crucible" has already come and gone from the top 100 charts, and Amazon is outright pulling the game from digital stores.

"Starting tomorrow, 'Crucible' is moving to closed beta," a note posted to the game's developer blog said.

Though it's being pulled from largest gaming platform, Steam, users who already own the game will still have access to it in the closed beta.

"You'll still launch 'Crucible' through Steam (you don't even need a new download), you'll keep all the progress and customization items you've already earned, and the battle pass, reward tracks, and in-game store will continue to be supported," the post said.

The note said the move was intended to "help us focus on providing the best possible experience for our players as we continue to make the game better."

After Wednesday morning, the only way into the closed beta will be through a sign-up process that will launch at some point in the "near future."

If this is the first you're hearing about "Crucible," you're forgiven. As of May 21, the day after it launched, "Crucible" had about 25,000 concurrent players at its peak. By May 22, two days after launch, it had already disappeared from Steam's top 100 — a list of most played games on Steam that bottoms out around 5,000 concurrent players.

Which is to say: As of May 22, two days after launch, fewer than 5,000 people were playing "Crucible" at any given time.

If you're interested in participating in the "Crucible" closed beta, you can pick up the game on Steam before Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET.

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