Konami has announced it will be shutting down the servers for Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, the mobile multiplayer spin-off to the once-proud Castlevania series, on September 9, 2020. If you haven't been actively following Konami related stories over the years, this move basically signals the death of Castlevania as we know it.
Having launched last September, this closure means the game will have only been available for roughly one year. That's probably not what fans had expected, especially with Konami giving multiple statements in support of its new mobile venture. It's also not a great sign for a company that has seemingly stepped away from supporting the franchises it owns.
If you want to try out Grimoire of Souls before its untimely death, that's going to be quite hard to do. The title has already been removed from the Apple App Store, though you can navigate to it via a web browser. There's no option for "purchasing" the game and all of its in-game microtransactions have been turned off. On Android, you'll be able to find the APK file online and install it, but iOS users will have no such luck.
As for what Grimoire of Souls even was, it is comparable to the Xbox Live Arcade title Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. It was a more multiplayer-focused entry in the series that tasked players with working through small dungeons to battle a boss. It was a fine enough formula that was dragged down by its awful gacha-styled unlock system.
Being a mobile title, there were extreme monetization methods that asked a lot from players. If you didn't pony up the cash, you'd be waiting an awfully long time for things to unlock. It wasn't the best experience around, which is likely why it never officially released in the US. The game had a soft launch in Canada and Japan that never made it to the states.
This closure is also a bit out of nowhere. Konami loves to do that with practically everything it owns, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'm more just sad that Castlevania won't be living on for much longer.
Source: ResetEra