101 Gacha Games Shut Down in 2023 — Square Enix Kills 9 of Its Own, a Billion-Yen Game Dies in 1 Month

In 2023, the global gacha gaming world witnessed a mass extinction of biblical proportions — a staggering 101 titles pulled the plug on their servers. A Reddit user meticulously compiled the list, an NGA forum veteran localized it with Chinese names and screenshots, and the internet collectively gasped: gacha games are dying faster than ever.

The original compiler confessed that the whole thing started because they were rage-playing Final Fantasy XVI over the holidays and decided to 'pick a fight with Square Enix.' After digging through the entire year's shutdown records, even they were stunned by the number. While the list explicitly notes it only covers games the author was interested in — meaning the real count is likely higher — 101 is already a jaw-dropping figure.

The first wave of casualties hit in January — 5 games gone before the new year even settled in. The headliner was SE's Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, a battle royale spin-off that lasted a mere 1.2 years. The iconic Metal Slug Attack bowed out after nearly 7 years. SAO: Unleash Blading survived 3.8 years before shutting down — yet another entry in Bandai Namco's ever-growing 'SAO graveyard.'

February added 6 more to the body count. Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights lasted only 1.1 years — another SE kill. Houbunsha's Kirara Fantasia shut down after 5.7 years, leaving manga fans in mourning. ByteDance's (朝夕光年) Yggdra Resonance barely survived 9 months — a brutal speedrun to the grave.

March and April were a full-on massacre. March saw 7 games die, but the most heartbreaking was Love Live! School Idol Festival (SIF) — the legendary rhythm gacha that ran for a near-decade (9.9 years) finally went dark, triggering waves of grief from idol fans worldwide. April brought 8 more shutdowns, including SE's Dragon Quest Dai: A Hero's Bonds (1.6 years). But the undisputed champion of failure was Sakura Ignoramus — reportedly built with a budget of 1 BILLION yen, it launched and died within a single month. That's not a shutdown; that's a speedrun to bankruptcy.

May through June saw the death toll skyrocket — 28 games across two months. May alone killed 17, including Chinese titles like Revived Witch (by Leiting Games), Burst Witch, and Zero Arms. NetEase's Cryptract managed to survive 8.4 years — a respectable run. June brought 11 more shutdowns: Bandai's Gundam Breaker Mobile fell after 3.9 years (Gundam mobile game death #3 for Bandai). Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS — known as LLAS among fans — died after 3.8 years, with heartbroken players mourning 'my LLAS' in the comments.

July and August kept the carnage going. July killed 10 games, headlined by SE's Echoes of Mana (just 1.1 years — SE's kill count hits X4) and Evangelion Battlefields (3.2 years). August added 8 more, including Zilong's Goddess of Genesis S (3 years) and the Chinese naval warfare game Azur Lane: Crosswave spinoff (苍蓝誓约, 4 years).

September and October brought even more high-profile casualties. September killed 7 games, including Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel (just 1 year), Destiny Child (5.8 years of waifu service, gone), and Mega Man X DiVE (3.5 years). Two SAO games died within days of each other — SAO: Variant Showdown lasted only 0.8 years. October killed 4 more, including the Japanese server of Spirit Realm (精灵之境, 1.9 years).

November and December wrapped up the year in blood. November killed 7 games, including Yoko Taro's SINoALICE (international server, 3.3 years). December brought 8 more deaths, with SE's Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia closing after 6.7 years — SE's kill counter now at X6! Youzu's Pride of Eden (日服) died after 3.5 years, and Crash Fever's international server pulled the plug after 7.1 years.

Tallying up the full year, Square Enix reigns supreme on the 'death chart' with a staggering 9 mobile game shutdowns — from FF7: The First Soldier to Dragon Quest Monsters Super Light, from Bravely Default to Fullmetal Alchemist Mobile. SE in 2023 was basically the Grim Reaper of mobile gaming. Bandai Namco follows with 5 titles (mostly Gundam games), including Taiko no Tatsujin Plus after nearly 10 years of service.

The comment section had its own highlights. One user genuinely asked 'what's a gacha game?' and got a wholesome reply: 'gacha is literally the sound a gacha capsule machine makes.' Another caught the OP's typo — 2024's predicted shutdowns were mislabeled as 2023, prompting an embarrassed 'oh wait, you're right lol' from the poster. The sharpest comment aimed squarely at SE: 'SE is basically a criminal at this point — can FF7 Ever Crisis even survive a year and a half?' Another legend summarized: 'Bottom line: if it's an SE mobile game, just uninstall preemptively. I can't think of a single one that lasted.' Players also mourned Seven Knights ('Wasn't this a big deal in Korean gacha back in the day?') and wondered about SAO's endless parade of doomed mobile games ('How many SAO games have they even made? I've never even heard of this one.').

This 'death list' of 101 titles isn't just a grim summary of 2023's gacha industry — it's a mirror reflecting the consequences of mass-producing low-effort IP cash-grabs. When big publishers churn out cookie-cutter gacha games chasing short-term revenue, players' time and money ultimately become nothing more than cold numbers on a shutdown notice. As the original poster put it, this list exists to 'preserve history, and to show just how stupid the gacha game service model has become.' With 28 more shutdowns already lined up for 2024, the industry's mass extinction event is likely just getting started.