Nintendohas shut down the servers of its first unique mobile IP,Draglia Lost. In 2016,Nintendoexpanded its sights beyond its own platform, publishing a range of established IPs for Android and iOS platforms. Players have been able to experience established franchises likeSuper Mario,Animal Crossing, andFire Emblemas free-to-play games from their smart devices.
Earlier in the year, Nintendo confirmedthe latest content update forDragalia Lostwould be its last and that the final date players would be able to access the game would be at the end of November. Now, Nintendo has finally closed the servers to the mobile RPG, rendering it inaccessible to fans.
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Dragalia Lostwas the first IP created by Nintendo specifically for mobile devices and co-developed byGranbluedevelopers, Cygames. When the RPG was released in 2018 it garnered mixed reviews from critics, but the game found a dedicated following. Even with regular content updates that include tie-ins with the likes ofMonster Hunterand last year’sDragalia LostxPersona 5: Strikerscrossover event, it was not enough for the developers to continue supporting the game.
It is unclear whether Nintendo and Cygames would collaborate on a Switch version ofDragalia Lost. A look at the replies to the official tweet surrounding the closure would seem to indicate fans’ love and appreciation for the game. Many players are calling for a continuation of the story, or an offline version of the RPG. Nintendo isn’t a stranger to adapting aspects of its mobile games into mainline games either.Mario Kart Tourtracks are being added toMario Kart 8: Deluxethrough the Booster Course Pass so it is plausible fans could see a continuation of the series.
Despite the servers shutting onDragalia, Nintendo is still trying to carve a path with its mobile division. The Niantic-developedPikmin Bloomhas just celebrated its first anniversary with aPikmin 3tie-in event. Nintendo’s other big hitter,Fire Emblem Heroes,remains one of the top-grossing mobile games across Android and iOS even though it was released back in February 2017.
Although, with the Switch selling 114 million units andPokemon Scarlet and Violetbreaking Nintendo’s internal sales records, Nintendo’s focus on mobile gaming has fallen by the wayside in recent times. While the House of Mario will continue to support the existing mobile range, the time between new releases is gradually getting longer as it adopts a more cautious approach to releasing more titles on iOS and Android.
