Mobile RPG Valkyrie Anatomia Ending Service on August 31st

When it launched in Japan four years ago, Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin marked what could have been the beginning of a real renaissance for Square Enix’s long-dormant Valkyrie Profile franchise. A mere two weeks later, the game had surpassed one million downloads. Featuring a lush soundtrack from veteran RPG composer Motoi Sakuraba and vivid cinematic sequences from Square’s in-house animation studio Visual Works, the iOS and Android title was poised to flourish.

While I can’t speak to Japanese fan reception, Anatomia unfortunately failed to impress here in the West when it arrived worldwide last April. Our own Patrick Gann called it a “wasted opportunity” and said it was the least fun mobile RPG he’d played in years. Perhaps this was a majority sentiment, as the game’s official Facebook page has now announced that Valkyrie Anatomia will end service on August 31st. Official word as to why the game is being shuttered is presently slim, with the Facebook post simply saying that it’s “due to difficulties.”

For those who can’t get enough of the game, there’s a thin silver lining: content will continue to be churned out for a few more weeks to come. But with the Facebook page planning no further posts after the end of July, I can’t imagine there’s much gas left in the tank. Here’s hoping the next time Square Enix decides to resurrect the cult-classic Valkyrie Profile IP, they do so with more style and substance than Anatomia was fated to receive.