Square Enix has canceled Just Cause Mobile, its upcoming free-to-play game.
In a statement to VGC, Just Cause global brand lead Anne-Lou Grosbois-Favreau confirmed development has now been stopped on the mobile action game. “It is with great sadness that we are announcing the end of development for Just Cause Mobile,” she said. “As of tomorrow, 3 July 2023, the game will no longer appear on digital stores.”
Just Cause Mobile had previously been available in early access, however, the game has now been removed from Google Play stores. It was due to launch later this year.
“It is never easy to put forth an announcement of this nature, especially to our fans who have been awaiting the release,” said Grosbois-Favreau. “We sincerely appreciate the support you have given us.”
Just Cause Mobile was announced at The Game Awards in 2020 but was pushed back several times since this announcement. It was described as a top-down isometric shooter set within the Just Cause universe and was going to offer a full story campaign along with 30-player competitive multiplayer as well as four-player co-op missions.
A premium currency, Blue Diamonds, was available to purchase during early access but will now be refunded in full. “Please note that any Blue Diamonds purchased during the Regional Early Access have been refunded in full to your Google Play Account on February 24, 2023.”
Just Cause 4 was the franchise’s latest release back in 2018, with fans hoping the upcoming mobile game would give them a new Just Cause story until the next mainline game.
IGN’s Just Cause 4 review gave it 7.9/10 and said: “Just Cause 4 has everything you expect from a Just Cause game, almost to a fault. Relative to Just Cause 3 the improvements are widespread across its beautiful open world, but generally minor. So while blowing up yet another dictator’s army is the same kind of mindless explosive fun and physics-based comedy the series is built on, it doesn’t do much to incorporate the new weather systems or grapple mods into combat. That leaves me with a distinct “more of the same” feeling.”
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Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.