Chinese developer Yongshi recently announced that it will be ceasing future updates of its free-to-play 3D action RPG Aether Gazer following its V5.2 update on December 1. However, while the term “end of future updates” is usually synonymous with “shutdown” when it comes to live-service games, the Aether Gazer team explained that this won’t be the case.
In a rather unprecedented move, the team has decided to continue operating the game through a Companion Server even after its “EOS.” What this means is that the game won’t be getting any new version updates past December, but players will still be able to log into the game and play the content released so far.
As the developers explain, the Companion Server will be implemented as the first measure to preserve the game long-term, and service is planned to continue until September 2031. Before the Companion Server’s service concludes in 2031, the publishers will look into whether it is viable to extend the operation period, and if not, explore other options for preservation, such as converting the game into a free standalone offline client. Specific details regarding the Companion Server system and the game’s future will be announced in following updates.
As more and more live-service and gacha games have been announcing EOS in the past couple of years, perhaps due to their rather short life expectancy, the topic of “live service game preservation” has become a huge thing in online circles. Most recently, the topic came up after the controversial fan-made offline port of NieR Re[in]carnation (made without permission from rightsholders) went viral on X, sparking discourse on whether it should be the developers’ responsibility to preserve their discontinued works.
While many Japanese developers expressed the opinion that retrofitting live-service games with offline support is easier said than done, the industry has also seen some successful examples such as Final Fantasy Resonance (though the game is not a 1:1 preserved version of its mobile predecessor Final Fantasy Brave Exvius).
There’s still some time until Aether Gazer’s Companion Server launches, but it will be interesting to see how it shapes up in the long term and what the developer’s future steps in preserving the game will be.
