Things are looking grim for the rebels looking to retake Japan. Sakura Revolution, the Sakura Wars mobile game spinoff developed by Delightworks is shutting down. In a statement posted to the official website on April 22, 2021, the development team stated that the game would cease operations on June 30, 2021. This schedule puts Sakura Revolution‘s end a little more than six months after its launch in Japan, on December 15, 2020.
The shutdown announcement was also reflected via a Tweet from the official Twitter account:
【重要】サービス終了のお知らせ[1/2]
この度『サクラ革命 ～華咲く乙女たち～』は2021年6月30日(水)をもちましてサービスを終了させていただくこととなりました。今まで遊んでいただいた皆様に心より感謝を申し上げます。今後の日程は下記をご確認ください。https://t.co/OLxazD2HrE#サクラ革命
— サクラ革命（6/30サービス終了） (@sakura_kakumei) April 22, 2021
In the statement, Sega said that it made diligent efforts to plan and manage events as well as roll out improvements to Sakura Revolution‘s systems and service. However, after considering the environment around the game, as well as future developments, it came to the conclusion that operations should end. Sega noted that it will provide details on refund options for any unspent premium currency. Sega also apologized to fans of Hololive Vtubers, as the scheduled shutdown means that Sakura Revolution will not debut planned characters based on Vtubers Shirakami Fubuki and Houshou Marine. The two were promoted as part of a pre-registration campaign before the game’s launch and appeared on sponsored streams.
Sega also provided a schedule for the shutdown:
- April 22, 2021, 1300 JST – All purchases of Spiricle Crystals (the game’s premium currency) halted.
- June 30, 2021, 1300 JST – Sakura Revolution service ends.
- June 30, 2021, 1700 JST – Refund applications open (tentative)
Players will be able to download the game and play normally until the game shuts down. However, they will be unable to purchase premium currency.
Though Sakura Revolution is shutting down, it may not disappear entirely. Sega intends to patch the app to allow it to function in a limited capacity after service ends. Details regarding those plans will come in the near future. It may end up like the “gallery mode” patch that was added after the Global edition of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story shut down in 2020.
Sakura Revolution is currently available on iOS and Android in Japan. The previous “main” Sakura Wars title is available on PlayStation 4 worldwide. Check out our previous coverage of Sakura Revolution for more details about the game’s backstory, characters, and gacha roll animations.
