Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Mobile Game to Shut Down in February 2021

What’s a more overwhelming foe than a race of immortal, iron-covered, zombie cannibals? Well, it’s an end-of-service announcement. The Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress -Revolt-, a mobile game follow-up to the anime series of the same name, operations will be shutting down on February 18, 2021. According to an announcement relayed via the official Twitter account, purchases of premium currency has been halted as of January 19, 2021. Players are free to continue playing the game and spending any accrued or purchased currency until the close of service, after which refunds will be issued for any unspent purchases [Thanks, Ryokutya].

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is an anime series developed by WIT Studio (which also produced the first three seasons of Attack on Titan) that broadcast in 2016. In it, the island nation of Hinomoto has been overrun by the Kabane, a race of zombie-like creatures. Kabane can infect living humans by biting them, after which the victim will grow a sturdy metal casing over their heart, as well as develop a hunger for flesh. The survivors of humanity cluster in large towns built around railway stations. Running along the rails between them are the Hayajiro (“Speeding Castles”), massive armored trains that ferry people and supplies between stations. At the outset of the series, one station is overrun by Kabane, and a young man named Ikoma is bitten. However, he’s able to stop the infection before it reaches his brain and becomes a Kabaneri, a creature that shares some of the Kabane’s superhuman strength and agility, but retains their human intelligence. He joins the crew of the Hayajiro Kotetsujou (the titular “Iron Fortress”) to seek safety and take the fight to the Kabane.

The Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress –Revolt– game was originally announced as a browse-based title, but launched in 2018 as a smartphone game in Japan. It takes place two years after the anime series and stars a new cast led by the newly minted Kabaneri Kaname. It takes place in a turn-based RPG format, and includes a gacha system to acquire new characters ranging from game-original creations to old favorites like Ikoma and Mumei, the stars of the anime series. The story is penned by Junpei Kasaoka, who was credited with working on the anime.

Check out the game’s intro, animated by WIT Studio and featuring music from composer Hiroyuki Sawano (who composed the Kill la Kill soundtrack, among other works):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfDXi7t-rI&

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress -Revolt- will be available on the Japanese iOS and Android app stores until February 18, 2021. At this point, an international release seems unlikely, but the anime and its feature film can be streamed via services such as Crunchyroll, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.