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Bravely Defunct.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

May 11, 2023

1 Min Read
The main characters of Square Enix's Bravely Default.

Square Enix announced a shut down date for its Bravely series. On June 30, servers for the Nintendo 3DS titles Bravely Default and Bravely Second: End Layer will be taken offline. 

Both games use the 3DS' StreetPass function, which lets the player invite their online friends to live in an in-game hub town and set up their own homes and shops. It's also possible to borrow friends' job abilities and levels in combat. 

As of 2023, Bravely Default I is 10 years old, and Bravely Second is 7 or 8 years, depending on the region. This shutdown is another blow to the series, whose mobile spinoff Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights went offline this past February.

Bravely Defaulting down

With the servers shutting down in June, both games will still be playable to their respective endings, and the StreetPass function will still work. But series producer Tomoya Asano said that "Net Friend Invites and sending Nemeses will no longer be available."

The 3DS (and Nintendo Wii U) had their respective Nintendo eShop stores close in March, meaning Bravely players can no longer buy in-game items via microtransactions.

Asano added that later in May, Square Enix would "explain the impact" of the server shutdown in greater detail ahead of the June 30 end date. 

About the Author(s)

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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