Square Enix to scrap Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier after just over a year

Square Enix is shutting down Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier after the mobile battle royale title failed to meet expectations.

The company said it will be ending service on January 11, 2023, because it hasn't been able to "deliver the experience that we were hoping to, and that you all deserve."

The freemium multiplayer game launched in November 2021, but will be laid to rest just over a year after making its debut.

Developed by Ateam Inc and published by Square Enix, The First Soldier takes place almost two decades before Final Fantasy VII and provides a glimpse at how military group "SOLDIER" was established.

Square Enix explained that players will be able to use any Shinra Credits (in-game currency) in their possession until the service ends, but that credits will be unavailable to purchase from this point on.

In-game events will continue to be updated until the game is shut down for good, but support for non-English language will wind down on November 1, 2022. All text will be displayed in English after that date.

"Despite all our efforts to bring you regular updates with fresh and exciting content, we haven't been able to deliver the experience that we were hoping to, and that you all deserve, so we have made the extremely tough decision to end service for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier," wrote the company.

"Although there is only a little less than 3 months until service ends, we will continue to make updates during this time, so we hope you will continue to enjoy Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier until the very end. "