Square Enix has officially shut downFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier. Players had their attention caught byFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, however the game comes to the end of its run after a relatively short existence.Following the success ofbattle royale multiplayer gameslikeCall of Duty: Warzone,PUBG, andFortnite,Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldierwas released in 2021 for Android and iOS devices. Set 18 years before the events of the originalFinal Fantasy 7, the free-to-play game served as a prequel based on the creation of Shinra’s SOLDIER unit. Players were placed in the role of a Soldier candidate and played matches of up to 75 players. These matches combined the gameplay of battle royale games with elements from theFinal Fantasyfranchise, including weapons and accessories. Players were also able to customize their characters and explore different fighting styles.RELATED:Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier Adds Skins Based on Dirge of CerberusThe First Soldier announced the closure last year, and the game comes to an end on Jul 01, 2025, less than 14 months after its release. An image was posted on the game’s official Twitter account thanking players, who responded with hundreds of comments and retweets. When the shutdown was announced, Square Enix ended the sale of Shinra Credits, the game’s premium currency, but continued to release updates regularly. Non-English language support came to an end in November last year, and to close out the final season ofThe First Soldier, one of the last events held was The Last Battle: Solo tournament.
Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldierattracted a lot of attention fromFinal Fantasyfans because it was the first battle royale in the franchise. The announcement was met with positive feedback, which was reflected in the pre-registration campaign.The First Soldierreached 2 million pre-registrations, with players unlocking several rewards. The game had events and collaborations situated within theFinal Fantasyuniverse, one of them celebrating the 25th anniversary ofFinal Fantasy 7’s release.
Closing a game is always a difficult decision, a decision that is even worse when it comes to a franchise as famous asFinal Fantasy. In the game’s closing tweet, players lamented the news and expressed their fondness forThe First Soldier. Several users also talked about how releasing the game for other platforms could have saved it from its ultimate fate. Now the attention ofFinal Fantasyfans turns to the next chapters of the franchise, including therelease of the highly anticipatedFinal Fantasy 16.
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