It's the end of an era for Sega AM2's popular free-to-play mech-based action title Border Break, which will see its online servers close later this year.
Released for Sega's RingEdge arcade platform back in 2009, Border Break was incredibly successful in its native Japan, grossing ¥8.1 billion (around $100 million) by 2012. The game's multiplayer mode permits up to 10 players to team up and take on an opposing 10-player team across various levels and stages.
Mech customisation plays a huge role in the game's appeal, with many of the robot designs being influenced by famous Japanese media properties, most notably Mobile Suit Gundam.
Border Break was ported to the PS4 in Japan in 2018, partly to maintain a userbase which had stuck with the game for much longer than Sega had initially anticipated.
However, all good things must end, and Sega has announced that on September 9th, the game's servers will be shut down. Ranked matches will end on August 14th. The main story mode can be enjoyed offline and will, of course, remain playable.
Automatic renewal of the game's premium service will end on June 5th, while purchases of Core Seeds – an in-game currency – will cease on July 10th. Any Core Seeds that have been paid for but remain unused will be refunded, starting from September 11th up until November 30th.
One final offline event – "Public Live Broadcast! Bo from Border Break! #Last Runners" –will take place on the 11th floor of Sega's main office in Ōsaki Garden Tower in Tokyo on August 19th. This event will be attended by series producer Seiji Aoki, producer Yō Momotani and several members of the voice cast.
Border Break sadly never saw release outside of Japan.