Konami has made public its plan to discontinue the game Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls next month, ending its presence on the Apple Arcade platform. The decision means that the title will be taken off the subscription service on August 20, and the servers that power the game will be shut down on September 3, after which the game will no longer be playable by anyone. In an official statement posted on Konami’s website, the company reflected on the game’s lifespan since its debut on Apple Arcade in September 2021.
"Since its launch on Apple Arcade in September 2021, the game has continued to be supported by many players," the statement read. "However, we have decided to terminate the service [in September]." The wording acknowledges the steady community of players who have kept the game alive for nearly three years, while also making clear that the company has chosen to end official support and server operation. The statement went on to thank the community: "We would like to express our gratitude to all of our players for their enthusiastic support throughout the years. The entire development and operations team sincerely thanks you for being part of this journey." This expression of appreciation is a common practice when online‑only titles are retired, as it recognizes the time and money that players have invested.
To understand why this shutdown matters, it helps to look back at the title’s origins. Grimoire of Souls first appeared in September 2019 as a free‑to‑play mobile game available on iOS and Android, initially released only in Canada. That early version featured in‑game currency, microtransactions, and a monetisation model typical of many mobile titles at the time.
After roughly a year, the original version was discontinued, but Konami saw an opportunity to revive the game in a different form. In September 2021, the game was relaunched as an exclusive for Apple Arcade, a subscription service that promises ad‑free, no‑microtransaction experiences. For this re‑release, Konami stripped out the in‑game currency and all microtransaction options, redesigned the user interface, and upgraded the graphics to meet the higher expectations of a premium subscription audience. The transition from a free‑to‑play model to a subscription‑only model was intended to give players a more polished, uninterrupted experience while aligning the game with Apple Arcade’s brand promise.
Despite these improvements, the game’s lifespan on Apple Arcade was limited. The subscription model means that once the service is discontinued, the game can no longer be accessed, as there are no offline or standalone versions available.
This is unlike many traditional console or PC games that can be played after the servers are shut down. Consequently, the delisting on August 20 will remove the title from the Apple Arcade catalog, and the September 3 server shutdown will render the game completely unplayable.
Grimoire of Souls is not the only title facing an imminent shutdown. The industry has seen a wave of online‑only games being retired as companies reassess the cost of maintaining servers versus the size of the active player base.
In the coming months, several other games have announced similar timelines. For instance, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour is slated to cease operations in September, followed by the Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem shutdown scheduled for October, and finally the closure of Destruction AllStars in November. These closures reflect a broader trend where developers and publishers retire titles that no longer meet financial or strategic goals, especially when the games rely heavily on server infrastructure.
For players who have invested time in Grimoire of Souls, the shutdown may feel abrupt. However, the company’s public statement suggests that the decision was made after careful consideration of the game's performance and the resources required to keep it running. Fans who wish to preserve memories of the game can look forward to any final in‑game events or announcements that Konami may release before the servers go dark. In summary, Konami’s announcement signals the end of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls on Apple Arcade.
The title will be removed from the service on August 20, and the online servers will be turned off on September 3, after which the game will no longer be accessible. The company thanked its community for the support over the years and placed the game’s retirement within a larger pattern of online‑only titles being phased out as part of ongoing industry shifts.