The Biggest Shutdowns So Far in 2025
Whereas crypto gaming has lengthy been seen as a key use for blockchain, letting avid gamers actually personal and freely commerce their distinctive gadgets and maybe revenue from a sport’s success, builders are struggling to maintain their video games and digital economies.
Some video games, like Gunzilla Video games’ Off the Grid, have punched by means of to a broader viewers, gaining adoption from high streamers and avid gamers alike—albeit forward of full blockchain integration. However many different video games and studios constructing with tokens are struggling to seek out gamers and preserve funding.
In 2025, a lot of once-promising crypto video games have already closed up store, and the listing has been rising not too long ago with every new week. Right here’s a take a look at a number of the largest video games to go offline or shut down solely.
Deadrop
Deadrop sport developer Midnight Society introduced that it was closing store in January. The studio, which had beforehand eliminated co-founder Dr. Disrespect in 2024 after alleged misconduct, gave workers simply two days discover, in keeping with an worker submit on X.
The extraction shooter sport spent round two years in early entry, promoting gamers NFT entry passes on Ethereum scaling community Polygon, in addition to different non-NFT gadgets that finally grew to become ineffective. In March, gamers began rallying across the deserted group Discord, serving to one another safe refunds by way of bank card chargebacks and financial institution reversals by claiming the product was by no means totally delivered.
Ember Sword
Ethereum sport Ember Sword at one level obtained greater than $200 million in pledges for an NFT land sale, conveying the extent of hype round metaverse gaming land NFTs in 2021. However the closing sale introduced in a lot lower than that, and in Could, the sport was finally shut down.
Developer Vivid Star Studios cited a scarcity of funding in its closing announcement—a standard theme amongst crypto video games ceasing growth of late. The MMORPG entered closed beta final July and early entry later within the yr, however drew criticism from gamers. After shifting chains a number of instances in the hunt for a everlasting house, it is since gone offline.
“We explored each doable approach ahead. However in immediately’s market—the place even a number of the most promising initiatives are shutting down—we couldn’t discover a path to maintain constructing,” the challenge mentioned.
Nyan Heroes
The Solana cat-mech shooter sport Nyan Heroes ended its run in Could, as effectively.
The sport, which had racked up greater than 250,000 wishlist additions throughout PC gaming platforms, was unable to safe the required funding to finish growth and push forward with its deliberate full launch subsequent winter.
Its closure rendered its NYAN Solana token ineffective, plummeting its worth to greater than 99% off its all-time excessive established in 2024.
“It has been a tough previous couple of months,” 9 Lives CEO and Inventive Director Max Fu advised Decrypt following the announcement. “At the moment, we’re exploring acquisition of the studio and/or the IP. Some discussions are underway, however I think it might take a while to finalize a call.”
Realms of Alurya
A funding challenge additionally signaled the obvious finish of the road—a minimum of for now—for Realms of Alurya. The sport, which was initially anticipated to launch on Treasure’s blockchain, was pressured emigrate to the Ethereum gaming-focused sidechain Ronin as Treasure pivoted to deal with AI initiatives.
The builders claimed in a message to its group that Treasure unexpectedly minimize grant funding that was anticipated alongside developmental milestones. With out that funding, the studio is now not in a position to full its roadmap, and has but to safe further backing.
Whereas the crew explores future options, the sport is offline till additional discover.
Symbiogenesis
Remaining Fantasy creator Sq. Enix will carry its Ethereum-based blockchain sport Symbiogenesis to an finish this July.
The browser-based narrative sport, which has hyperlinks to a number of Ethereum scaling chains, like Arbitrum and Polygon, was first introduced by Sq. Enix in 2022 and billed as a “digital collectible artwork challenge,” providing a number of chapters and quests to gamers in a brand new continent set within the sky. Only recently, the sport did a crossover promotion with a pair video games on Sony’s new Ethereum layer-2 community, Soneium, however the finish remains to be nigh.
Not like different video games which have been pressured to fold resulting from a scarcity of product market match or funding, the Symbiogenesis roadmap has been deliberately designed to finish in July 2025 because the storyline involves its conclusion. And to be clear, Sq. Enix has ample sources to maintain a sport like this reside, making this an anomaly on this listing; perhaps the sport simply ran its course.
The Thriller Society
The Thriller Society, an Ethereum sport that blended vibes of the informal Amongst Us sport with homicide thriller, suspended operations in February.
The sport’s developer, Nice Huge Stunning Tomorrow, was unable to seek out the funding crucial to finish the sport, regardless of having beforehand raised $3 million.
The sport first launched on Polygon earlier than migrating to gaming-centric scaling chain Immutable in late 2024.
After the announcement, the sport developer’s CEO Chris Heatherly advised Decrypt that “greed and stupidity from nearly all gamers is killing the house earlier than it could actually show itself.”
The Strolling Lifeless: Empires
Gala Video games’ zombie-themed MMORPG The Strolling Lifeless: Empires will discover its option to the graveyard this yr. The Ethereum sport, which was formally licensed from the AMC present The Strolling Lifeless, will solely be playable by means of the tip of July.
“After cautious consideration, we have now made the tough resolution to sundown The Strolling Lifeless: Empires, with the final playable date set for July 31, 2025,” wrote Gala Video games in early Could.
The sport challenged gamers to craft weapons and construct bases to guard themselves from the undead, at one level commanding main value tags for its NFTs on the secondary market. As compensation for the sport’s shutdown, gamers will get thriller containers full of NFTs from different video games revealed by Gala.
MetalCore
Mech shooter MetalCore closed its sport servers and Discord group in March, ending communications with its group as developer Studio 369 makes “essential modifications to the sport.” The official X submit on the matter even restricted replies to solely those who the MetalCore account follows.
Thanks to all of the mercs who joined us for the Battlegrounds occasion! 🫡
MetalCore servers and Discord channels will probably be down as we make essential modifications to the sport. Thanks to your dedication and assist—keep sharp, we’ll return quickly!
— METALCORE | Let’s #PlayMetalCore! (@playmetalcore) March 25, 2025
The sport, which remains to be listed as obtainable within the Epic Video games Retailer, began on Ethereum layer-2 community Immutable zkEVM, however started a migration to Solana final October. However no updates have come since that March 25 announcement, regardless of a point out within the submit that the crew will “return quickly.”
Blast Royale
The developer of cellular sport Blast Royale signaled its discontinuation in mid-Could “after exploring each path and risk,” it mentioned.
The creators of the battle royale-style sport, which had a group of Ethereum NFTs, will open its supply code on June 1, permitting anybody locally to choose up the place they left off and additional develop and modify the sport. However in any other case, the sport will near gamers on June 30.
With a heavy coronary heart, we affirm the information about Blast Royale’s closure. Thanks to our superb group for being a part of this journey. Please see the hooked up group assertion shared by @Renny0x final week. pic.twitter.com/2iAv0VSGZg
— Blast Royale (@blastroyale) Could 16, 2025
The sport’s NOOB token will nonetheless be distributed and commerce freely on Base, the Ethereum layer-2 constructed by Coinbase, however it has plummeted greater than 99% from its all-time excessive value.
Mojo Melee
And the newest addition to the listing, approaching Friday, is Mojo Melee—the NFT-fueled auto-battler sport within the vein of Teamfight Techniques. We went hands-on with Mojo Melee again in 2023 and loved it, and the sport subsequently held a promotion with Amazon to provide out free in-game property to Prime subscribers.
However now developer Planet Mojo is closing up store, making a pivot to AI with plans to launch a movie-making platform. Mojo Melee and the studio’s WWA platform for AI gaming brokers will shut down on July 1.
It’s with deep remorse that we announce that Planet Mojo is formally sunsetting on July 1. Thanks to everybody who performed, supported, and constructed with us. You’ll be able to learn our full message to the group right here 👇 pic.twitter.com/2B0OGQzN57
— Mojo AI 🌱 (@WeArePlanetMojo) Could 30, 2025
“Whereas we’re extremely happy with how far these initiatives got here and and the passionate group that grew round them, shifting market realities have made it unsustainable to proceed growing them on the degree they deserve,” the studio mentioned Friday in a Discord message cross-posted to X.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
