Fans of the card collecting, monster wielding game lose a little bit of the franchise today as Konami announces the imminent shutdown of Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel. The shutdown was first announced just this morning, confirming the demise the already dwindling prospects for the mobile spinoff game. Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel was announced and released only recently, first being a mobile spinoff in 2021. It launched as a mobile experience, something vastly different from the traditional card game format and setup. Instead of leaning toward the card game, Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel tends to take more inspiration from the anime adaptation of Yu-Gi-Oh. It features characters, monsters, and settings all from the anime rather than the card game. Unfortunately, for those left who are fans of the spinoff, the end is near for the mobile title.
Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel is a spinoff game that first made its debut during September of 2022. It brought on the idea of not just a card game for mobile players, but an entire tonal and gameplay shift from the original Yu-Gi-Oh formula. Instead of just two players dueling during a match, it’s four, making for quite the chaotic initial setup. The rest of the rules for Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel run almost like the main gameplay formula. You can use monsters to attack opponents and use Traps to stop other players. The popular mechanic in Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel allowed players to change their monster types mid-game. However, the game did not reach popularity as other games with the franchise did, such as Master Duel.
When Is The Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel Shutdown?
The franchise is popular, so why did a mobile game of it fail within a year? While Yu-Gi-Oh Cross Duel was a unique concept overall, it did not go over well with fans of the series, receiving a low reception since its release. It seems the lack of gameplay from veterans amounts to being too different from the base idea. This morning, Konami officially announced the plans to end the game’s service. The date for the game’s closure is set to end on September 4th of this year. Coincidentally, this is only a few days before the game’s one-year anniversary. While unfortunate for the few fans of the mobile spinoff, the general fan population tends to agree that the cause is the base formula of the game, which just doesn’t work in comparison to other titles.