The first soldiers will not be the last ones standing, it seems. Square Enix has announced that it is ending service for Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier in early 2023. The announcement was relayed via the game’s official Twitter account and the official website. In it, the development team announced that the FFVII: The First Soldier shutdown is scheduled for January 11, 2023. The game first launched on November 17, 2021, putting the end of service just over a year after its launch.
Check out the announcement below.
[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
The announcement also confirms that as of October 12, 2022, the ability to purchase Shinra Credits has been removed from FFVII: The First Solider. Until the shutdown, players with existing supplies of Shinra Credits can use them as they please. On November 1st, 2022, the game will cease support for Non-English languages, with text displaying exclusively in English. The team also promised that the game will see further updates in the three months left before service ends. Going by the example of other announced mobile game shutdowns, that likely means that Square Enix will rerun limited-time events, activate planned events in the calendar (such as the upcoming Halloween event), or distribute free goodies and giveaways for the remaining players.
FFVII: The First Soldier was a multiplayer-oriented battle royale-style game with up to 75 players in a single match. It was set 18 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. Players took on the role of candidates for Shinra’s SOLDIER program, competing in battle to prove their worth to the company. Players scrambled around large battlefields inspired by locations from Final Fantasy VII‘s game world obtaining firearms, melee weapons, and materia for spells. There was also a “style” system that determined a character’s melee weapon and special skills and traits. For example, Warriors could use a sword and charge an enemy to quickly approach them. Dragoons gained the classic Jump ability and used spears. Monetization came in the form of cosmetic skin purchases and draws via a gacha system. Skins were often themed after FFVII characters, such as Sephiroth, the “low-poly” looks of characters from the PS1 era, and cameos of characters seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
FFVII: The First Soldier shuts down on January 11, 2023. It is still available on iOS and Android.
