Square Enix plans a “reboot” spanning three years, but not all existing titles will survive this transition. By the end of October, two prominent mobile games from the publisher`s key franchises will cease operations in Japan.
Confirmations from Square Enix`s social media have announced the impending discontinuation of Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius and Dragon Quest of the Stars. Both games, initially released in 2015, had already been taken offline in international markets (Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius last year, Dragon Quest of the Stars in 2021). As of October 31, they will be fully delisted, and in-app purchases have already been halted.
Notably, Dragon Quest of the Stars will mark its 10th anniversary on October 15, shortly before its shutdown, with Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius reaching the same milestone on October 22.
In related news, Yoji Fujito, director of Final Fantasy XI, revealed that Square Enix had considered shutting down the 23-year-old MMO last year. It was ultimately saved due to its continued strong player base. Fans of Outriders, however, faced a different fate. Developer People Can Fly reportedly had ambitions for Outriders 2, but this was overridden by Square Enix. Following this, People Can Fly experienced layoffs, and Outriders 2 was reportedly among two projects canceled.
Despite these closures, Square Enix continues to announce new titles, such as The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. This new HD-2D action-RPG is slated for release in 2026 on Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.