Was it the sales? Was it the backlash? Or did they realize it was a bad idea from the start?
Here is the solicit for Avengers Arena’s 17 & 18 via BleedingCool.
AVENGERS ARENA #17 & 18
DENNIS HOPELESS 
KEV WALKER (A)
Issue #17 – COVER BY FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Issue #18 – COVER BY DAVE JOHNSON
Issue #17 – “BOSS LEVEL” PART 4: THE FINAL FIGHTS RAGE ON!
• Up on Murder World Island, it’s the surviving contestants in an all-out battle royale!
• Down in Arcade’s lair, it’s two other contestants vs. Arcade!
Issue #18 – “BOSS LEVEL” PART 5: THE SEARING SERIES FINALE!
• Arcade’s mad plan comes to pass! Who lives? Who dies?
• Shock follows shock as the game reaches its last desperate seconds!
• AVENGERS ARENA ends here…but it’s also the launch pad for what comes next!
32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T+ …$2.99 (EACH)
What will this mean for the characters? Will the deaths stay or will it all turn out to be some kind of VR thing and everyone is alive and well? Or will they just kill everyone off and be done with it? We’ll find out soon enough.
X-Men: The (fan fic) Series 
None of the above. Hopeless had a specific story in mind. He’s reaching the end of that story. But there’s going to be a “Season 2” – a sequel of sorts. Indications are that it’ll follow some of the survivors, though details are still scarce.
Thanks for the info, though it makes me sad to hear it.
It’s not being canceled, it’s ending. They also made it clear it’s not a virtual reality.
They are also continuing the story in a new book.
Actually, in counter to what Xmenxpert said, it’s not that Hopeless planned to end it at this point. This run was actually cut short of what he wanted it to be. He revealed on twitter that he’s had to truncate things. https://twitter.com/HopelessDent/status/349965085382422529
Season 2 is ‘rumored’, but not confirmed. It’s only mentioned on Bleeding Cool, and no official source. Whatever is being launched from this is currently unknown. Whatever happens, the bridges have already been burned. If Hopeless is the one to follow it up, what happened with Adam Beechen and Cassandra Cain will likely repeat itself.
Interesting, thank you.