Cult horse-themed fighting game scraps crowdfunded development goals, prompting a wave of negative reviews

Them's Fightin' Herds is scrapping some of its development goals as its studio looks to cease working on the game in the near future.

Earlier this week, developer Mane6 posted a development update on Steam for Them's Fightin' Herds, which has established itself as a recurring, if somewhat fringe, entry at some of the biggest fighting game community events. The most important news from the update was that the developers "will be ceasing active development" on the fighting game after the ongoing Season 1 Pass is all said and done.

That means that after DLC character Baihe launches next year, it's over for Them's Fightin' Herds. "We will still be able to release small patches to address game-breaking bugs, but no new content will be produced. Unfortunately, that includes Story Mode," the developer writes.

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That planned Story mode will never see the light of day, and that means Them's Fightin' Herds won't be able to meet all of its development goals that were funded through a crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo. Some of the "originally planned perks" for backers will be adjusted accordingly, although more information regarding that won't be here for another few weeks. Developers are still looking for ways to release new content that they've already made, including another new character and a new stage, but players aren't impressed.

Unfortunately, the announcement has prompted a wave of negative reviews from players on Steam. Them's Fightin' Herds enjoyed a 'Very Positive' review aggregate since launching in 2020, but 60 recent reviews are averaging out at 'Mostly Negative,' with players lamenting the scrapped Story mode in particular.

"Don't bother buying it. the developers has stopped supporting this joke of a game and as much as I wish that wasn't the case it's true. I hope the best for mane6 but this was truly wasted potential," reads one review after over 80 hours with the game. "I am disappointed that the game has to end development this way long before it could see its potential," adds another player with nearly 20 hours played.

Check out our guide to the best fighting games if you're after something else to play before Them's Fightin' Herds newcomers arrive next year.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.