South Korean mobile game developer Clover Games has officially filed for corporate bankruptcy on April 9, 2026, bringing down all three of its active titles with it. Lord of Heroes, HEAVENHELLS: Anime Squad RPG, and Ayakashi Rise: AFK Demon Hunt — each representing a different corner of the mobile RPG genre — will all reach their end of service starting May 9, 2026. The news sent shockwaves through the mobile gaming community, as the studio had built a loyal international player base across its games.
Key Dates
- Apr 6, 2026 All in-app purchases preemptively disabled
- Apr 9, 2026 Clover Games officially files for corporate bankruptcy
- May 9, 2026 Server shutdown begins at 14:00 UTC (possible earlier closure)
Clover Games Files for Bankruptcy After Years of Losses
Clover Games, founded in 2017 and based in South Korea, submitted a corporate bankruptcy petition to the relevant court on April 9, 2026. In an official statement, CEO Yun Seong-kuk described the decision as the result of insurmountable financial strain — a combination of accumulated operating deficits and total capital depletion that left no viable path forward.
The studio's downfall was accelerated by the underperformance of its newest title. HEAVENHELLS launched in South Korea in February 2026 but delivered results that fell short of expectations, triggering a round of restructuring that let go of a significant portion of development staff just a week after launch. A global version was subsequently released in early March in a last-ditch attempt at recovery, but the effort came too late.
CEO Yoon had personally invested over ₩3 billion of his own funds over the past three years in a desperate attempt to keep the game services alive. Despite these efforts, the losses proved too great to overcome.
"Despite severe financial difficulties, all of our executives and employees joined in cost-cutting efforts to sustain our game services, and I personally invested every available personal asset, doing everything in my power to keep the services running. However, as the depletion of our funds reached an unbearable threshold, we were forced to confront the devastating reality that we can no longer maintain the company."
— Yun Seong-kuk, CEO of Clover Games (official statement, April 9, 2026)Three Games, Three Genres — All Shutting Down Together
Clover Games' entire active portfolio — spanning turn-based strategy, real-time squad combat, and idle RPG — will cease operations simultaneously. Here is a look at each title heading into retirement:
Lord of Heroes
Turn-Based Strategy RPGThe studio's flagship and longest-running title, launched in 2020. Lord of Heroes was known for its strong narrative, large-scale progression, and a notably player-friendly system where every hero could reach full potential regardless of rarity.
HEAVENHELLS: Anime Squad RPG
Real-Time Squad RPGThe studio's most ambitious project and its most recent global launch. HEAVENHELLS featured real-time combat and high-quality anime storytelling, placing players in command of a squad resisting a demonic invasion.
Ayakashi Rise: AFK Demon Hunt
Idle RPGA recently released idle RPG set in a supernatural version of Tokyo, fusing Japanese folklore aesthetics with hands-off progression. The game was still in early stages of building its dedicated player base when the closure was announced.
Despite their different gameplay identities, all three titles had earned strong ratings on the App Store and Google Play. Many within the community point to the compressed development timeline of HEAVENHELLS — combined with the already thin margins of the mobile RPG market — as the breaking point.
What Happens Next: Shutdown Timeline and Final Access
All three games have already been removed from digital storefronts, and servers are scheduled to go offline on May 9, 2026, at 14:00 UTC. In-app purchases were disabled ahead of the bankruptcy announcement to prevent any further financial harm to players.
However, players should be aware that the May 9 date is not guaranteed. Due to the legal specificities of bankruptcy proceedings, there is a possibility that servers may be forcibly shut down earlier than scheduled in accordance with the terms of external server providers, potentially without prior notice. Clover Games has expressed regret over this possibility and asked for players' understanding.
For those who wish to log in one last time to say goodbye, access remains open for now — but players are encouraged not to delay.
Refunds: How to Get Your Money Back
💳 Refund Guidance for Players
Because Clover Games has entered formal bankruptcy proceedings, the company is unable to process refunds directly. Players who made in-game purchases are advised to contact the platform through which they made the purchase:
- Android users: Request a refund through Google Play Store support
- iOS users: Request a refund through Apple App Store support (reportaproblem.apple.com)
The window for platform-based refunds varies and may be time-sensitive, so affected players are encouraged to act quickly. Neither Google nor Apple guarantees refunds for all purchases, but submitting a claim sooner generally improves the chance of approval.
A Difficult End for a Studio That Fought to Survive
The closure of Clover Games is a sobering reminder of how unforgiving the mobile gaming market has become. The studio clearly cared about its games and its players — the CEO's personal investment of billions of won, the proactive disabling of purchases to protect users, and the effort to keep servers running for one final month all speak to a team that fought until the very end.
For the communities built around Lord of Heroes, HEAVENHELLS, and Ayakashi Rise, May 9, 2026 marks the last day with these worlds. It's a painful but unfortunately familiar chapter in the live-service gaming era — where even games with strong ratings and loyal players are not immune to the pressures of an increasingly competitive industry.
If you were a player of any of these titles, take the time to log in, finish the story, and say your goodbyes before the servers go dark.
