《幻塔》PS4版将于10月20日停服

A PlayStation console-exclusive MMO is set to begin its shutdown process in 24 hours. The good news is it’s only a partial shutdown. More precisely, the PS4 version of the MMO RPG is shutting down, but the PS5 version is staying online, at least for now. That said, as of October 20, those playing the free-to-play game on PS4 will no longer be able to play any of it. This will mean the PS5 is the sole console it can be played on, effectively making it a PS5 console exclusive going forward.

Back in 2023, two years after it debuted on PC and mobile phones, developer Hotta Studio and publisher Perfect World brought the free-to-play MMORPG to PS4 and PS5. And it has resonated with PlayStation fans, as evidenced by the fact that it has over 16,000 user reviews on the PlayStation Store with a decent 3.71 out of 5-star rating. In particular, due to the lowered barrier to entry, free-to-play games seldom score very high in the user review department.

Meanwhile, most of the negative reviews cite issues with accounts being deleted and bugs, both of which have been or are in the process of being smoothed over. To this end, most reviews note the core gameplay loop is solid, as is the story, the latter of which is far from a guarantee with an MMO game.

PS4’s Age Catching Up To It

It’s unclear what the player split between PS4 and PS5 is, but the game isn’t shutting down the former due to a lack of interest. Rather, according to the aforementioned duo, the PS4 version is simply shutting down due to a combination of performance optimization issues and application size limits. The latter we’ve now seen cited for numerous PS4 game shutdowns.

“We greatly appreciate your continued support and love for Tower of Fantasy on PlayStation 4! Due to issues with performance optimization and application size limitations, we regret to inform you that we will discontinue our support and updates for Tower of Fantasy on PlayStation 4,” reads the official statement on the matter.

According to Hotta Studio and Perfect World, while PS4 users can no longer log into the game, they can claim their unclaimed items in the PS5 version if they ever upgrade. In addition to this, their progress can be carried forward as well.

Those on PS4 now looking forward to something new to play will not find much coming to the PS4 of note these days. There are still releases, though. To this end, a Nintendo Switch exclusive was recently stealth-released onto the PS4.