Saber Interactive really captured lightning in a bottle for a second there. When Evil Dead: The Game launched in 2022, it felt like the asymmetric horror genre finally had a heavyweight contender that could actually stand toe-to-toe with Dead by Daylight. It wasn't just another cheap licensed cash-grab. It was a love letter. You could feel the dirt, the gasoline, and the sheer Sam Raimi-infused mania in every frame.
Then, things got quiet.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a tragedy. If you hop into a match today, you’ll still find a dedicated core of players who know exactly how to dodge a possessed puppeteer’s lightning or how to effectively manage their fear levels while looting the Knowby Cabin. But for the casual observer, the game exists in a weird sort of limbo. Saber announced in late 2023 that they were halting new content development, which usually sounds like a death knell in the "live service" era. Yet, the servers are still humming. People are still playing.
What actually went down with Evil Dead: The Game?
The game didn't fail because it was bad. Far from it. At its peak, the loop was addictive. You had four survivors—ranging from Ash Williams himself to deep-cut characters like Cheryl or Arthur—working together to find map pieces, banish the Dark Ones, and protect the Necronomicon. On the other side? One demon player. This wasn't just a game of hide and seek. It was a brawling, driving, spell-casting chaotic mess that stayed remarkably true to the source material.
Bruce Campbell’s voice work gave it that authentic "groovy" soul. The gore was over-the-top. The physics were just janky enough to feel like an 80s practical effect.
But the industry is a beast. Saber Interactive went through massive corporate restructuring during the Embracer Group's well-documented downsizing spree. Projects were cut. Priorities shifted. When the announcement came that no more DLC was coming, the community felt a collective gut punch. There were so many rumors about a "Ruby" demon class or more maps based on the Army of Darkness era that simply never materialized in the way fans hoped.
The learning curve was a massive wall
Let's talk about the demon. Playing as the Kandarian Demon in Evil Dead: The Game is one of the most stressful yet rewarding experiences in modern gaming. You aren't just a monster in the woods; you are the woods. You fly around in a first-person "spirit cam" (exactly like the movies), trapping chests, possessing cars, and summoning deadites.
It's hard.
New players would jump in as a demon, get absolutely bullied by a coordinated team of survivors who knew how to "window hop" or "car loop," and they’d never come back. This created a massive skill gap. If the demon player isn't having fun, the queue times for survivors skyrocket. It’s a delicate ecosystem that many asymmetric games struggle to balance. Saber tried. They patched and tweaked, but finding that sweet spot between "power fantasy for the demon" and "fair fight for the survivors" is like trying to catch a greased pig.
Why the atmosphere still clears the competition
Even with the lack of new updates, the technical craft here is astounding. Most licensed games look like they were made on a budget of fifty bucks and a sandwich. Not this one. The lighting in the woods at night? Terrifying. The way the Kandarian Demon’s POV distorts the environment? Perfection.
- The "Fear" mechanic actually mattered. If your character got too scared, the demon could possess you and turn your own legendary boomstick against your teammates.
- The inclusion of vehicles was a game-changer. Driving a Delta 88 through a horde of deadites while your buddy leans out the window with a revolver is a peak gaming moment.
- Melee combat felt heavy. There was a real "crunch" to the dismemberment system that made every swing of a chainsaw feel impactful.
The Splatter Royale experiment
Remember when they added a Battle Royale mode? "Splatter Royale" was... a choice. In an era where every game felt the need to copy Fortnite, Evil Dead: The Game tried to pivot. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't what the fans wanted. They wanted more maps. They wanted more classic characters from the 2013 remake or the Ash vs Evil Dead series. Splatter Royale felt like a distraction from the core asymmetric experience that people actually fell in love with. It's a classic case of a developer trying to broaden the appeal while accidentally alienating the hardcore base that was keeping the lights on.
The current state of the Necronomicon
If you’re thinking about picking it up now, you should know what you’re getting into. The game is often on sale, and it was even free on Epic Games Store and PlayStation Plus at various points. This injected some much-needed fresh blood into the lobbies.
You’ll still find games.
Cross-play is active, which is the only reason the game is still alive. PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players are all shoved into the same bucket. If you turn cross-play off, expect to wait ten minutes for a match. With it on? Usually under two minutes during peak hours. That’s not bad for a game that’s supposedly "dead."
There's a specific kind of "sweatiness" in the community now, though. Since only the veterans stayed behind, the level of play is incredibly high. You’ll run into survivors who have every objective location memorized and demons who will find you within the first thirty seconds of a match. It can be discouraging. But if you find a group of friends to play with? It’s still some of the most fun you can have in a horror game.
Acknowledging the "End of Life" status
It’s important to be realistic. There are bugs that will likely never be fixed. There are balance issues—like the infamous "splitting" strategy where survivors divide and conquer objectives—that might stay forever. Saber has moved on to projects like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Jurassic Park: Survival.
But that doesn't mean the game is a graveyard.
The community-run tournaments are still a thing. Small, but fierce. People are still sharing clips of insane last-second book defenses. The game has a soul that Dead by Daylight often lacks because it's so hyper-focused on its own aesthetic. In Evil Dead: The Game, you feel like you're playing a movie.
Actionable steps for new and returning players
If the urge to rev up a chainsaw is hitting you, don't just jump into a public match and expect to win. You'll get destroyed. Follow these steps to actually enjoy your time in the wasteland:
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1. Grind the Single-Player Missions First
A lot of people skip these because they’re tough. Do them anyway. They unlock essential characters like King Arthur and Pablo. More importantly, they teach you how to manage your stamina and resources without the pressure of a live demon player hunting you.
2. Focus on One "Class" Early On
The skill trees in this game are deep. Don't spread your spirit points too thin. Pick a role—Leader, Warrior, Hunter, or Support—and dump everything into it. A level 25 Ash (Warrior) is a god; a level 5 Ash is just deadite fodder.
3. Use Your Mic (Or at Least the Ping System)
This is not a solo game. If you wander off to find a legendary chest and get jumped by a possessed elite unit, you are dead. And your team is probably going to lose because of it. Stay in pairs. Use the ping system to highlight Shemp’s Cola for your support player.
4. Don't Fear the Demon
Seriously. If you play as the demon, expect to lose your first ten matches. Use those matches to learn map layouts. Watch how high-level survivors move. You get spirit points even if you lose, so use those to level up your demon's base stats. Once you hit level 45 with a demon, the game completely changes.
Evil Dead: The Game is a fascinating relic of a very specific time in gaming. It’s a high-production, high-passion project that got caught in the gears of corporate instability. It deserves a spot in your library if you have even a passing interest in horror or the franchise. Just don't expect a constant stream of new shiny toys. Enjoy it for what it is: a messy, loud, bloody good time that refused to go down without a fight.