Crypto Game Crashouts: The Biggest Shutdowns So Far in 2025

Crypto Gaming Struggles as Promising Titles Shut Down

While crypto gaming has long been touted as a promising use case for blockchain technology—enabling gamers to truly own and trade their unique items—developers are finding it difficult to sustain their games and digital economies.

Some titles, like Gunzilla Games' Off the Grid, have gained traction with top streamers and players, though this success came before full blockchain integration. Meanwhile, many other crypto-based games and studios struggle to attract and retain players while securing the funding needed to stay operational.

A Growing List of Shuttered Crypto Games

In 2025, several once-promising crypto games have already shut down, with more closures expected. Here are some of the most notable titles that have gone offline:

• Deadrop: Midnight Society's extraction shooter closed in January with just two days' notice to employees. Players are now seeking refunds through chargebacks.
• Ember Sword: This Ethereum-based MMORPG, which once secured $200M in NFT land sale pledges, shut down in May due to funding issues.
• Nyan Heroes: The Solana-based cat-mech shooter from 9 Lives Interactive couldn't secure funding to complete development, closing in May.
• Realms of Alurya & Wonder Wars: Both Ethereum-powered games on Ronin ceased operations due to funding challenges.
• Symbiogenesis: Square Enix's Ethereum-based game is ending its storyline as planned in July 2025—a rare case of a planned shutdown by a well-funded studio.
• The Mystery Society: This Ethereum-based murder mystery game suspended operations in February after failing to secure development funding.
• The Walking Dead: Empires: Gala Games' licensed zombie MMORPG, built around Ethereum NFTs, will shut down at the end of July 2025.
• MetalCore: The mech shooter, which migrated from Ethereum to Solana, closed its servers and Discord in March for "important changes."
• Blast Royale: The Ethereum NFT-powered mobile battle royale will close June 30, with developers open-sourcing the code.
• Mojo Melee: The NFT auto-battler shuts down July 1 as Planet Mojo shifts focus to AI projects.

These closures underscore the persistent challenges in crypto gaming—balancing player engagement, funding, and sustainable business models. As the industry evolves, only time will tell which projects can overcome these hurdles and succeed long-term.