It’s only been a few weeks since Square Enix announced the shutdown of Babylon’s Fall servers, less than a year after its launch, but we already know who’s next on the list. This is fortunately not Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but one of the many spin-offs announced following the success of Final Fantasy VII Remake: the mobile game Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier.
One more BR closes its doors
Announced at the end of the year and released on November 17, 2021 on iOS and Android, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier tried to ride the double wave of popularity of the moment, that of the main series, and that of Battle Royale type games. . It was obviously not a good idea, since the competition is already numerous and well established in the niche. Shutting down servers made official today, is scheduled for January 11, 2023, just under 14 months after its release. Its critical reception wasn’t too bad, but audiences seem to have quickly shunned the game.
The developers let it be known in their message that it is with a heavy heart that they make this announcement, but that despite their best efforts, updates and events have not been enough to deliver the gaming experience they hoped.
Updates will continue to be deployed until the end, although support will only be in English after November 1st. The in-game store no longer sells Shinra Credits, the premium in-game currency, but players can still use these credits for in-game purchases.
The problem of online service games exposed, once again
Unfortunately for players who have invested real money in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, it is extremely unlikely that a refund orchestrated by Square Enix will take place, as the game has only been available for a relatively long time. brief. Their best bet is probably to turn to Google and Apple, which control the App Store of affected devices.
The situation is less serious than that of Babylon’s Fall, which will close its doors around the same time next year, after just one year of service, when the game was sold at full price to players. This underlines, in any case, the need for better consumer protection in such situations.
It is possible that other similar announcements will arrive in the weeks or months to come, we think in particular of Marvels Avengers, which has been strongly criticized since its release, and whose community is now minimal, with an average below the bar of 300 concurrent players on Steam according to SteamDB.
Even if Square Enix saves money by not compensating players of its euthanized online titles, it still risks damaging its image. Savvy gamers might think twice about investing time and money in games where the same thing could happen.