Konami has made public its plan to discontinue Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls next month, ending the game’s presence on Apple Arcade and ultimately rendering it unplayable. The title, which has been available solely through Apple’s subscription platform since its arrival in September 2021, will be taken off the service on August 20. After that date, the game will remain listed but will no longer be accessible for download.
A final shutdown is scheduled for September 3, at which point any remaining players will lose the ability to launch the game entirely. In an official statement posted on Konami’s website, the company acknowledged the game’s longevity and the community that has supported it over the years.
"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 developers went on to thank the fan base, saying, "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." To understand the significance of this announcement, it helps to trace the game’s history. Grimoire of Souls first appeared in September 2019 as a free‑to‑play mobile title for iOS and Android, initially launching only in the Canadian market.
The original version featured a typical free‑to‑play model with in‑game currency, microtransactions, and a monetisation system that allowed players to unlock characters and upgrades through purchases. After roughly a year of operation, Konami decided to discontinue the mobile version, citing strategic shifts and the desire to focus on a more curated experience. The game resurfaced in September 2021, this time as an exclusive offering for Apple Arcade, Apple’s subscription‑based gaming service that promises an ad‑free, no‑microtransaction experience.
In the transition to Apple Arcade, Konami removed all forms of in‑game currency and microtransactions, overhauled the user interface, and upgraded the visual presentation to take advantage of Apple’s hardware capabilities across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The revised version presented a more polished aesthetic, smoother animations, and higher‑resolution textures, positioning Grimoire of Souls as a premium, subscription‑only entry in the long‑running Castlevania franchise. The game’s core premise revolves around the classic Castlevania lore, inviting players to assemble a team of iconic characters from various installments of the series to battle the forces of darkness. Players could collect and upgrade a roster of heroes, each with unique abilities and attack patterns, and then deploy them in strategic, turn‑based combat scenarios.
The redesign for Apple Arcade emphasized a streamlined progression system, removing pay‑to‑win elements and focusing instead on skill‑based play and character synergy. While the game enjoyed a dedicated niche audience, the broader market for subscription‑based mobile titles remains competitive, and maintaining server infrastructure for a relatively small player base can become financially untenable over time. Konami’s decision to pull the title aligns with a pattern observed across the industry, where publishers periodically retire older or less profitable services to reallocate resources toward newer projects. Grimoire of Souls is not the only game slated for closure in the coming months.
The industry is seeing a wave of shutdowns as companies streamline their portfolios. For example, Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour, another mobile title that has been running since 2019, is scheduled to cease operations in September.
Following that, Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem will be taken offline in October, and Sony’s Destruction AllStars, which launched on PlayStation 5’s cloud streaming service, is set to end in November. These closures reflect a broader trend of publishers pruning legacy services to focus on next‑generation experiences, live‑service updates, or entirely new IPs. Players who still have the game installed after the August 20 delisting will be able to launch it until the September 3 shutdown, but they should be aware that any online features, leaderboards, or multiplayer components will become inaccessible once the servers are turned off.
Offline modes, if any, may continue to function, but the core experience of Grimoire of Souls was designed around its online connectivity, meaning the game will effectively be unplayable. In summary, Konami’s announcement marks the end of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls’ lifecycle on Apple Arcade.
The title will be removed from the catalog on August 20, and all online services will be terminated on September 3, after which the game will no longer be accessible. The company expressed sincere thanks to its community, acknowledging the support that sustained the game for nearly two years on the platform.
This shutdown is part of a larger series of service terminations affecting several mobile and streaming titles across the industry, underscoring the evolving nature of digital game distribution and the challenges of maintaining long‑term support for niche subscription‑based experiences.