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Boltrend kills Atelier Online after a year amid four-month maintenance

Free-to-play gacha RPG Atelier Online: Alchemist of Bressisle is not long for this world. Less than a year after its global launch, the cutesy anime mobile game is already reaching retirement. 

When is Atelier Online closing down?

In a surprise announcement to fans of the niche RPG series, Koei Tecmo is already closing shop on Atelier mobile. Those who have spent considerable amounts on the game only have until August to keep playing. 

On August 3rd, Atelier Online will close its virtual doors for good. This closure follows the death of the Japanese version of the game. In Japan, the game last for four years, running from 2018 until March this year. 

In comparison, the global release of the game will last just over a single year. Releasing in July 2021, the game failed to leave an impression on players. In our review, we found the game enjoyable. However, it has yet to evolve after a year of release.  

Reviews for the global version of the game claim that localisation was poor and mechanics made little sense. Now we know why the game has failed to leave any impression on mobile gamers. 

Atelier Online will officially be removed from the Google Play Store on August 3rd. However, it will remain playable until August 17th. 

Fans are unhappy with Boltrend 

The closure of Atelier Online is far from surprising. Since the announcement of the game’s end in Japan, it was only a matter of time before the English version joined suit.

The writing was on the wall, and the writing was in huge block letters. Not only was the Japanese version closing, but the English version has been in “maintenance” for four months. 

With the reveal of its closure, fans have quickly turned against its global publisher: Boltrend. The company’s history of poorly localising games at the end of their lifespan for a quick buck makes Boltrend the ire of many mobile gamer. With Atelier’s closure, they shown no sign of changing. 

“Can’t spell Boltrend without end,” said one Reddit commenter. “Classic Boltrend,” said another. “So basically don’t touch anything Boltrend releases,” said another comment we’ve picked. 

With so much money spent on gacha games, each closure is another sting to the genre. If, one day, a massive gacha game like Genshin Impact closes down, millions upon millions will simply go down the drain. That’s happening every month with smaller titles.

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