The Storybook Brawl team has announced on Twitter their intent to shut the game down on May 1.

Quote From Storybook Brawl

On behalf of everyone on the SBB team, we'd like to thank you for your support. We’ve explored different options, and unfortunately there is no path forward. We’ll be shutting down the servers on May 1st - please enjoy SBB until then, and thanks for all the memories

Why is Storybook Brawl Shutting Down?

Storybook Brawl was acquired by FTX, the crypto currency exchange and hedge fund that was declared bankrupt last November after they closed withdrawals due to a lack of assets in their reserves. The situation was complex and if you're looking for more information, check out the FTX Wikipedia page which is filled with facts.

Due to the FTX shutdown, Storybook Brawl had to cancel their big World Championship event and the future of the game was unknown. Since then we have seen some content updates, community-run events, and developer communication, though none addressing the elephant in the room until now.

Quote From Storybook Brawl

Given the circumstances, we are saddened to announce that we are cancelling the World Championship in The Bahamas. We are unsure about the future of Organized Play and the World Championship, and will provide clarity when we know more.

What Was Storybook Brawl?

Despite being an arguably fun game to play, Storybook Brawl never saw massive success. The free-to-play auto-battler had a dedicated group of fans, but the audience never grew after their initial release and later in September 2021 when Sneaky played the game for 10 hours to a peak viewership of 9765 which clearly had quite a few more players check the game out.


Via SteamDB

The game featured hundreds of characters from fairy tales which gave it a familiar, yet hilarious at times atmosphere - "Peter Pants" and "Pup the Magic Dragon" meeting was clearly fate.


Goldilocks from Storybook Brawl

For those familiar with Hearthstone's Battlegrounds, one of the most popular auto-battler games out there, you'll find yourself in a similar setting.

  • You start a game off by choosing your Hero which will have a health stat and an effect.
  • Afterward, you purchased characters from a shop to fill out your board and then let battle commence.
  • Spells are also purchasable during the shop phase, with a different spell being available each turn. They can be cast once.
  • Treasures are earned when you upgrade characters or complete quests. You can have 3 of these in play.


The "Mad Catter" from Storybook Brawl

Storybook Brawl was never able to leave Early Access, which was planned for the end of 2022, but due to aforementioned events, they never got there.

Quote From Storybook Brawl

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Our current plan is for Storybook Brawl to be in Early Access until late 2022. While we don't yet have an exact date, you can count on the game regularly improving during Early Access as we release many new features, characters, heroes and general improvements.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“Our Early Access version already offers a highly replayable, strategic card game that is easy to dive into. Additionally, we will be adding many more features and customizations to Storybook Brawl during Early Access, including:

- Group lobbies
- Unique heroes and alternate hero art
- New game boards
- A variety of card frames
- New emotes
- Fully voiced characters
- Regular updates
- Other finishing touches across the entire game”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“All Storybook Brawl's core mechanics and gameplay are already available. This includes leaderboards, 8-player free for all matchmaking, single-player practice mode, full card gallery, and progression system that allows you to unlock any of the heroes in the game.

By the numbers, here are the game objects in Early Access:

- 100+ draftable character cards, each with its own unique design
- 30+ hero cards with unique powers that dramatically change how you play each time
- 20+ treasures that you can mix and match to form powerful new combinations
- 20+ unique spells that can dramatically alter the course of the brawl
- 50+ amazing visual effects and sounds
- 1 Ultra-Cute Puff Puff”

Did you try Storybook Brawl in its couple years that it was available? What did you think about the game? Are you sad to see it go? Let us know in the comments below.