Online gaming has many facets and gameplay genres, but perhaps no singular online gaming mode has been as popular or influential in recent years as the Battle Royale mode. Popularized through mega-hit games like PUBG and Fortnite, the mode has now become something of a staple for online games. Popular franchises started deeming it popular enough to utilize battle royale modes for their fans. One such franchise was Final Fantasy, which produced a battle royale game last year titled Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. However, it seems that the game is being discontinued after only a year in service.

[End of Service Notice]

We are regretful to announce that we will be ending service for FINAL FANTASY VII THE FIRST SOLDIER at 07:00 UTC on January 11, 2023.

We would like to thank you all for all your support over the past year.https://t.co/XvNOVv2EVs#FF7FS pic.twitter.com/aNVI4iHle4

— FINAL FANTASY VII THE FIRST SOLDIER_EN｜FF7FS (@FFVII_FS_EN) October 12, 2022

Square Enix made the announcement regarding Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier in a news release on the official website for the game. Just over a year after launching the online game on November 17th, 2021, ‘First Soldier’ is officially shutting down on January 11th of 2023. Shinra credits have been removed from the game shop, but those in a player’s balance can be used until the shutdown date. As for why the live-service game is ending, here is what Square Enix had to say:

“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.”

The post also confirms that non-English translations for the game will discontinue even earlier, on November 1st next month. While the game only has three months left of support, there are still updates coming for this closing period of the game to keep it interesting until its demise. While Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier hadn’t really caught on, fans can still take some final strolls through the battle royale mayhem on a Chocobo’s back.

What do you guys think about Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier getting shut down after only a year in service? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Final Fantasy news, such as the announcement of the new Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core remaster, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!