- Sword Art Online Variant Showdown is an action MMORPG based on the popular anime.
- An Offline Edition will be available after EOS, including all post-maintenance quests, takedown battles, Battle Royale, stories, and more.
- You can play the game until EOS with a finale campaign including Events, Scouts, Main Story, Ultimate Battle, and more.
Bandai Namco has announced the shutdown of its MMORPG, Sword Art Online Variant Showdown, set for October 30 on Android and iOS. Originally launched in November 2022, it went on an extended maintenance break from September 2023, and a re-release was confirmed in December 2024.
Despite redevelopment, Sword Art Online VS will shut down just months after its re-release
Sword Art Online Variant Showdown is an action MMORPG based on the popular anime series, Sword Art Online. Here, you can take on real-time PvP battles using ability cards, explore story quests divided into Main stories, Side Stories, and Extra Stories, and even customize your avatar to your liking.
Unfortunately, the team announced via X that the game would shutdown on October 30, stating, “We ultimately decided to discontinue the service after concluding that it would be difficult to continue providing a satisfying player experience,” despite them trying daily since launch to improve service quality.
Players can still experience the game in the Offline Edition
Following the announcement, the game has disabled sales of Variant Crystals, its premium currency, and online services will officially end on August 30. That said, you can still play the game until the EOS date with a finale campaign featuring Events, Scouts, Main Story, Ultimate Battle, and more.
The good news is that an Offline Edition will be available after EOS, and you can migrate to it by updating to Ver 3.0.0. However, keep in mind that the data transfer deadline is set for January 29, 2026. The offline version will include all quests from the re-release, along with selected floors of the Unlimited Dungeon, and more. Check the official announcement for more details.
It’s still sad to see the game end after what seemed like a hopeful revival last year. The game had lots of issues to begin with, like in-game bugs, underlying systems, the Gacha system, and more. And even with the redevelopment efforts from the devs, it looks like everything still can’t be fully solved.
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