Following the shuttering of Hoyeon, NCSoft has decided to pull the plug on Blade & Soul 2 as well.

On the 17th, NCSoft broke the news via the official Blade & Soul 2 website. It is a decision made nearly four years after its official launch in August 2021. The service will cease on June 30th next year, with all monetization effectively halted as of the 17th.

The Chinese version, known locally as 'Sword Spirit 2', will also see its final content update this December, with all development work coming to a close. Future operations will be dictated by the local publisher, Tencent. Further details regarding the wind-down schedule will be announced separately.

The Blade & Soul 2 team stated, "We tried our best to keep the service running until the very end, but after careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to shut down." They added, "We know words aren't enough to offer solace, but we are preparing various rewards and events so you can enjoy your remaining time in the game."

Launched in August 2021, Blade & Soul 2 arrived with high hopes as the successor to NCSoft's flagship title, 'Blade & Soul'. However, it never quite found its footing, plagued by gameplay that veered too far from its predecessor, questionable quality, and what many critics labelled as aggressive monetization.

Following the termination of the Japanese service last October, the domestic version is now meeting the same fate. At the time of the Japanese closure, an NCSoft representative insisted that "the closure in Japan would have no impact on the domestic service, and we plan to maintain stable operations."