It seems that Bayonetta and Nier: Automata developer PlatinumGames isn't a good match for a live-service product after all, as Square Enix has decided to shut down Babylon's Fall entirely on February 28, 2023.Following Babylon's Fall disastrous launch with poor critical reviews and extraordinarily low player numbers, Square Enix has decided it's not worth continuing with for the very few fans that remain. As such, the publisher will terminate the game's service next February, meaning that the game itself, all in-game purchased items, and gameplay data on the servers will no longer be available to players.As part of the scheduled shutdown process, the publisher is ceasing both digital and physical retail sales of the game starting today, as well as any in-game currency known as "Garaz". The appropriate notice has already appeared on Babylon's Fall's Steam page.
Babylon's Fall's all-time peak on Steam is slightly more than a thousand players, which sounds like a death sentence for a live-service game. Square Enix's decision to continue releasing updates after such a rough start has made many scratch their heads. Some three months after launch though, the company announced that Season 2 will be extended to "re-evaluate" the game's future, hinting that a planned Season 3 could be somewhat in doubt. Now, the developer has confirmed that Season 2 will run until November 29 as scheduled, and the Final Season will let you earn all the ranking rewards previously available.
To sweeten the deal for a handful of fans, the studio also plans "to implement as many events and other initiatives" as it can before shutting down, including new special rewards, event missions, quest boosts, and New Year's bonuses. You can check the full schedule on the "Hanging Garden" official website.
Lastly, the devs said the fan feedback really made them feel like the world of Babylon's Fall was created together with the players. "Despite all of your support, we are truly sad and sorry to say that we will be unable to continue with the game's service."