Popular 10-Year-Old Strategy Game Is Shutting Down (But It’s Not All Bad News)

It’s always tough when a long-running game shuts down. But not every live-service title can go on forever, and that means that sometimes, gamers have to say goodbye. And for fans of the strategy card collecting game Shadowverse, that time has come. Or at least, it’s coming quickly. The Shadowerse team at Cygames has officially announced that, after 10 years, Shadowverse is headed towards its end of service. The popular mobile and PC card-collecting game will shut down on June 30th at 10 PM ET.

Shadowverse launched back in June 2016 and has seen regular updates ever since. Itself once a spin-off from Rage of Bahamut, the game has spawned several spin-offs of its own. But now, Cygames has announced that the popular strategy card game is reaching end of service in 2026. While the original Shadowverse is shutting down, the game’s “direct successor,” Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, is sticking around. Here’s everything you need to know about the pending end-of-service for Shadowverse.

Shadowverse Shutting Down This June, Here’s the End-of-Service Schedule

While Cygames is breaking the news to fans now, Shadowverse won’t fully shut down until June 30th. That means there are a few more events and dates for players to keep in mind as we approach the end of service for the game. The game will see one final Battle Pass season and a few rerun events before the doors fully close this summer.

First up, Cyrstals are no longer available to purchase effective March 25th. On March 31st, the game’s final Battle Pass Season, Season 23, will begin. All players will receive the Premium Pass for this final season, since you can’t buy crystals in-game anymore. Going through April and May, players will see Throwback Rotation card resets to give them another chance to grab cards they haven’t yet collected. Then, on June 30th, the game will officially shut down. At that time, you won’t be able to link your account to Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond or access the original Shadowverse game. You can get the full details on the shutdown schedule at the official Shadowverse website.

Cygames did not give a specific reason for shutting down Shadowverse. The game has been running for 10 years, so it may simply be reaching a natural end. There’s also the fact that its intended successor, Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, will have been out for about a year this June. That newer card-battler hasn’t had quite the positive reception you might expect given how much players loved the original Shadowverse. But it’s possible that the team at Cygames wants to focus on supporting one primary Shadowverse virtual card game, alongside other live service games like the wildly popular Mobile Game of the Year winner, Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

Read Next

This Is the Only Mobile Game I Play on a Daily Basis, and You Should Too

At any rate, the original Shadowverse will close up shop in June. Its sequel game, Worlds Beyond, will remain available. So, fans won’t necessarily have to leave the card battler behind entirely, even if this will be the end of an era for Shadowverse. Like its predecessor, Worlds Beyond is free-to-play and is available for PC and mobile devices.

Are you still playing Shadowverse? How do you feel about the shutdown? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!