Some major late breaking news from the sports gaming world as Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football from Canuck Play has been Cancelled. The announcement came from Canuck Play founder David Winter on Wednesday evening from the game’s official Discord.
“At this time…development of the title has been suspended and the company itself has been put on hiatus,” Winter said in the statement.
He added in the announcement that there were many reasons for the decision to end development, including his health after working “7 days a week for months on end”.
“The ability for a small team to keep up development, of such a large and complex title, combined with the never-ending changes in technology in the game industry, just make continuing untenable,” he said. “Add to that the other larger studios invading our space, and it made little sense to continue.”
Effective immediately, the studio behind the game — Canuck Play — has ceased all operations. On top of that, the entirety of the game’s IP, including source code, is now for sale.
Winter ended his announcement by expressing gratitude for the support the game has had over the years, saying he is extremely proud of what was accomplished with the game. He also made note that he was leaving the gaming industry to change careers moving forward.
SGO has reached out to Winter for more comment on Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football being Cancelled.
Maximum Football Made a Mark
Despite its cancellation, there’s no denying that Doug Flutie’s Maximum Football made a mark with football fans.
Winter and Canuck Play were a team not afraid to listen to the community. The fans wanted a college football game, they delivered a dynasty mode that proved to be a great foundation for future games.
The series even got to the point where active discussions were happening with the last iteration of the XFL before the league went defunct due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The problem for fans was that it felt like a game from the early to mid-2000s. For many in the community, it left just a bit too much to be desired to have true replay value.
That said, it’s a shame whenever a small studio has to shut down. Hopefully more teams take risks like Canuck Play to provide fans with games that they are asking for.
This is a developing story….