Samurai Cats (Nobunyaga no Yabou) ends service after 10-year run

10 years after its launch in Japan, Koei Tecmo announced that Nobunyaga No Yabou (Samurai Cats in the west) will end its service after a decade. According to the game’s official Twitter account, the service will end on 22nd February (Monday) next year, at 3.00 p.m.

For those who have remaining Cat Coins in the iOS version of Samurai Cats, refunds will be offered. Cat Coins are no longer available for purchase as of 22nd December 2020. Further details can be obtained from the official website.

Samurai Cats debuted on 22nd February 2011, which is fitting considering that Japanese citizens celebrate National Cat Day on that date. As one can tell from the image above, the game reimagines historical Japanese figures as furrier and cuter cat-versions of themselves.

As a spin-off of Koei Tecmo’s Nobunaga’s Ambition franchise, Samurai Cats features the familiar setting of Sengoku period Japan. Players travel from castle to castle engaging in combat with other players. Before each battle, players choose the formation for their army and its commander. Combat is fully automated without intervention from the player, with the results shown post-battle. Most of the game takes place in real time, with timers being used for the majority of the player’s actions.

The early years of Samurai Cats were met with notable success. During Taiwan’s Bahamut 2012 Game Awards, it won the fan popularity vote. Two years after its debut, it was reported that over a million players have registered on the Japanese and Taiwanese servers of the game. The game’s popularity, coupled with the cuddly aesthetics of the characters have led to Oda Nobunyaga, Date Masiamune, Utsunomiyah Kunitsuna, Siamzu Yoshihiro, and Ishida Mitsunyari being costumed mascots for Koei Tecmo.

Even though the game’s servers will be going offline in a few months, Koei Tecmo has many other options available for mobile gamers. Earlier this month, the company launched Shin Hokuto Musou, a mobile game which blends the combat from the Dynasty Warriors series with characters from Fist of the North Star.

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Samurai Cats

Publisher: Koei Tecmo Games

Developer: KOEI TECMO

Release Date: 2011-02-22

Android, iOS

Welcome to the world of SAMURAI CATS, where you command an army of cute and ferocious felines in the battle for Feudal Japan! You'll meet, fight, and recruit all your favourite Samurai Warriors from the Japanese Civil War... in cat form! Collect your favourite Cat Warriors, unlock Skills and Combos, then prove your army by joining battles, tournaments, and wars!

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