An Exclusive Castlevania Game Is Shutting Down

The Apple Arcade-exclusive Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls won’t be playable for much longer, developer Konami has announced.

In a post on social media and the game’s official website, Konami confirmed Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls will be removed from Apple’s gaming subscription service on August 20. Despite Konami stating the game has “continued to be supported by many players,” it will also shut down permanently and no longer be playable on September 3. 

“We would like to express our gratitude to all of our players for their enthusiastic support throughout the years,” Konami said. “The entire development and operations team sincerely thanks you for being part of this journey.”

Konami didn’t give any real reason for the decision. Originally released in 2019, Grimoire of Souls was removed from mobile storefronts and then re-released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in September 2021 with a number of improvements, including the removal of various microtransactions.

At the time of its release, Grimoire of Souls was the first new Castlevania game since 2014’s Castlevania: Lord of Shadows 2. Its story concluded back in 2022 with an update that provided new revelations related to Dracula’s defeat in 1990’s Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse.

Despite being on mobile, Grimoire of Souls is in many ways a traditional 2D Castlevania game, featuring character designs from longtime franchise artist Ayami Kojima and music from Michiru Yamane. Many franchise fan-favorites, including Alucard and Simon Belmont, are playable characters, and the game even supports multiplayer co-op. 

One look at the comments about the game’s shutdown on X or its launch trailer on YouTube shows there is definitely an appetite for Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls to be ported to consoles or PC. Whether its removal from Apple Arcade means Konami may eventually sell it on other platforms remains to be seen.

Thankfully, Castlevania fans don’t have to wait long for a new entry in the series. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, from the makers of the critically acclaimed Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia, is coming this December. Despite the developer’s roguelite pedigree, Belmont’s Curse will be a Castlevania game in the classic style, according to Konami.