'Final Fantasy 7' Mobile Battle Royale Game Shutting Down Next Year

Pre-release gameplay of Final Fantasy 7 First SOLDIER, a battle royale game set in the world of Midgard for iOS and Android devices. Square Enix

KEY POINTS

"The First Soldier" is a battle royale spin-off set in the "Final Fantasy 7" universe
The game will officially shut down in January 2023
"The First Soldier" received mixed reviews from users and critics alike

Another live-service Square Enix game is getting sent to the graveyard following a company announcement, saying that "Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier" will be discontinued.

The multiplayer online battle royale game for mobile devices is getting axed on Jan. 11, 2023 – all servers hosting the game's matches will be permanently taken down, preventing players from joining any more games in the future.

"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," Square Enix said in the announcement.

FF7FS - Magic — Final Fantasy 7 The First Soldier featured iconic magic spells from its parent series Square Enix

Players will no longer be able to purchase Shinra Credits from the in-game store and support for all non-English versions of the game will end on Nov. 1, 2022. These versions of the game will automatically be translated into English.

Finally, the game will cease to be available at 07:00 UTC on the date listed above. Up until then, everyone will still be able to enjoy the fantasy battle royale experience on their mobile devices. Square Enix will also keep providing updates featuring in-game events until the service permanently ends.

"Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier" was met with heavy skepticism back when it was revealed. Not only was it seen as an unceremonious attempt to breach the saturated battle royale genre, but fans of the proper "Final Fantasy" series simply didn't like the idea.

Users on Metacritic and the Google Play store praised the moment-to-moment gameplay despite the clunkiness of controls and a few technical problems. The game also received positive responses from critics, with some praising the fluidity of its performance on mobile devices and the uniqueness of its combat that meshes spellcasting with gunfighting.

Fans still have more to expect from the "Final Fantasy 7" universe this December with the upcoming release of the "Crisis Core" remake. It is set to be followed by the second part of the "FF7 Remake" next winter, but not before the arrival of "Final Fantasy 16" in the summer of 2023.