At Ease… Dismissed

Yet one other live-service cell title is being readied for the scrap heap — No large shock, maybe, however this explicit instance is branded with one of the vital recognizable gaming IPs of all time. Square Enix has introduced that Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, might be ending service in January 2023.

Originally launched November 2021, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier is a free-to-play title that tells of the youth of the Shinra Corporation and its devoted and ruthless merc military, SOLDIER. Following the standard battle royale format, The First Soldier tasked 75 customized characters with combating it out in an ever-decreasing circle, procuring weapons and materia on-site in a bid to be the Last Soldier Standing. But it appears, regardless of the FFVII branding, the expertise was not compelling sufficient to take care of the title’s recognition or profitability.

“It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the end of service for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. We will be ending service at 07:00 UTC on January 11, 2023,” stated Square Enix in a public assertion. “Despite all our efforts to bring you regular updates with fresh and exciting content, we haven’t been able to deliver the experience that we were hoping to, and that you all deserve, so we have made the extremely tough decision to end service for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier.”

“We would like to thank you all for supporting us over the past year.”

And thus, slightly over a 12 months on from its launch, The First Soldier might be becoming a member of a slew of free-to-play, long-life cell video games which have been deserted scant years, and even months, into their life cycle. Players can nonetheless dive into The First Soldier till its last day, though in-game foreign money “Shinra Credits”, can now not be bought from the shop.

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier shuts down service on January 11, 2023.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been enjoying video video games for the reason that Nineteen Eighties. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse