Nintendo’s original mobile gacha game Dragalia Lost is shutting down

Dragalia Lost is one of Nintendo's dwindling stable of mobile games. The game's main campaign will end in July and the company will stop adding new characters or content at the end of March, when the final set of characters is introduced.

Nintendo hasn't said when Dragalia Lost will be completely shutting down. After the main campaign is over, service for the game will come to a close, according to the company. There will be further details on the end-of-service schedule in a future notification.

Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp were both debuts of the year before Dragalia Lost. Dragalia Lost was a free-to-play game, unlike Super Mario Run, which was a one-time price.

It makes sense on paper. Gacha games can make a lot of money. Fire Emblem Heroes is Nintendo's most lucrative mobile title as of 2020, generating over $650 million in revenue, more than all of Nintendo's other mobile games combined, according to a Sensor Tower report.

Dragalia Lost never reached that level of success. Fire Emblem Heroes has been able to exploit the fact that it didn't have decades of beloved characters for fans to collect, because it was a completely original Nintendo title.

Dragalia Lost will join Dr. Mario World on the list of mobile titles that will not be renewed by Nintendo.