Square Enix has announced the end of service for the JP version of SINoALICE, effectively killing off the game.
In a notice today, they confirmed that the JP servers for SINoALICE would end service on January 15th 2024, with the browser client for the game shutting down on December 26th the month prior.
Gem sales will also be halted as of today, and Square Enix has confirmed that more information on how to refund gems will be announced at a later date.
Unlike other game shutdowns though, it seems like SINoALICE will be ending with a bang- the game will be having a final story chapter released after December 26th, as well as a Roundtable event after the game’s termination as an in-person event in Japan.
While not confirmed, it’s very likely that this Final Story Chapter will be similar to the one released in the game’s Taiwanese version, which featured players having to delete all their saved characters to proceed.
According to Appmagic, the Japanese version of SINoALICE has been on a decline in terms of revenue aside from one major spike in June, the game has typically struggled to break 1 million USD per month.
This is a sharp contrast to the year prior, where the game’s lowest performing month was 1.1 million USD in November 2022.
What we’re seeing is also Square Enix’s seeming sunsetting of the SINoALICE IP- other versions of the game have already had their shutdown announced, with global shutting down in November.
That being said, it doesn’t look like this could herald Square Enix’s exit from mobile games altogether- this year the publisher launched Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, and Yoko Taro’s NieR Reincarnation is also still going strong despite the former’s shutdown in the SEA region.