Tribe Nine isn't the only noteworthy news story floating around right now about live-service games getting their plugs pulled on them, but it certainly stands out for its exceptionally abbreviated lifespan. The "brutal action RPG", as its publisher describes it, will have lasted just 15 months when it's brutally shut down on November 27.

As a side effect, Tribe Nine's story won't get its planned fourth chapter, which would have left things on a cliffhanger... if Kazutaka Kodaka, Tribe Nine's creator, didn't step in with a bold plan to give players an ending. Kodaka, famous for his Danganronpa series, as well as 2023's Master Detective Archives: Rain Code and this year's The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, thinks canned live-service titles should always offer their fans a narrative finish, and he's stepping up to the plate to stand by those words.

"We Have To Find A Way"

Kodaka's offering Tribe Nine players that sought-after sense of closure through the creation of Neoneon Tribe, a "non-profit fan project" which will see the commercially-failed game's plot to its end point. He hopes the endeavour may even lead to further content for the Tribe Nine IP in the years to come. (While Neoneon Tribe's upcoming work will be free, he hopes his fans will consider supporting him by purchasing Hundred Line - and I totally agree. It's good!)

Kodaka's announcement was made nearly a month ago, but it's been gathering notice by Western gamers courtesy of a more recent interview with Automaton. It's here that he's made his belief clearest: when a live-service game goes dark, players deserve answers to the narrative mysteries and character arcs that they've grown so attached to.

“When an IP you created inevitably fails as a business, nothing much can be done there,” he said. “However, I believe that [as developers] we have to find a way to offer our players a sincere conclusion.” -Kazutaka Kodaka

This is the sort of strong moral drive that has some of Kodaka's longtime fans worried he'll push himself to the brink - like Maemae, who posted a response to his Neoneon Tribe announcement tweet urging him not to overwork himself. I echo that sentiment, Kodaka-san! Regardless, it's quite cool of him to do this, and it raises the broader question of whether developers should, at least whenever possible, make sure as many loose ends are tied up as is remotely feasible when a drip-feed storyline gets severed midway.

“Of course, creators can’t really go about making a game under the assumption that it is going to end services; it’s somewhat inevitable,” Kodaka told Automaton. “But I do believe that, as a way of taking responsibility for creating the game, one of the things creators should be thinking about when they start working on their project is how to wrap it up regardless of what happens to it.”

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Tribe Nine

Action RPG Gacha Systems Released February 19, 2025 Developer(s) Akatsuki Games Publisher(s) Akatsuki Games Multiplayer Online Co-Op PC Release Date February 19, 2025
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