Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, a free-to-play title available on mobile and PC, will cease operations on October 6.
Launched in December 2023, Ever Crisis sought to recreate the narrative of Final Fantasy VII alongside its various spin-offs, including Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, and the mobile-exclusive Before Crisis. The game also introduced new storylines, featuring a young Sephiroth and a group of SOLDIERs, and involved original Final Fantasy VII staff such as writer Katsushige Nojima and creative director Tetsuya Nomura. Monetization relied on a gacha system, where players could purchase in-game crystals for random gear.
In a producer's letter, Shoichi Ishikawa cited difficulties in balancing production costs with the demand for character weapons and gear. "While we recognize that many people are playing EVER CRISIS, it has become difficult to find a balance between production costs and the demand for character weapons and gear," Ishikawa stated. He further explained that maintaining satisfying equipment visuals while also ensuring gameplay balance for party diversity presented ongoing challenges.
Following the shutdown announcement, all real-money transactions within the game have been suspended. The closure comes at a notable juncture, as characters originally introduced in Ever Crisis, such as Glenn Lodbrok, have since appeared in the main Final Fantasy VII Remake series. The discontinuation of Ever Crisis may leave players without a readily accessible way to explore the lore of these crossover characters once the game is no longer available.