Six years after it was shut down, a cult classic hero shooter is making an unexpected comeback in the form of Gigantic: Rampage Edition. In the wake of increasingly desperate cries from a community of fans waiting for the game to get a second chance, Gearbox Publishing has provided that chance with what's turning out to be one of the most fascinating case studies in game preservation I've ever seen.
When else has a dead multiplayer game – much less a free-to-play live service title – been brought back to life? Sure, we've had historical versions of MMOs like World of Warcraft or RuneScape make comebacks, limited, short-lived revivals for games like Evolve, and an array of private server projects keeping other beloved online games alive. But a major relaunch from a major publisher for a game that didn't even make that much of an impact on the gaming world? Gigantic might just be one of a kind.
