The developers behind Ragnarok: Monster World (ROMW), a blockchain tower defense game built on the beloved Ragnarok IP, have officially confirmed that the game will be shutting down for good by the end of 2025. The announcement was made across official channels on October 30, with the team citing financial problems as the main reason behind the move.

The news arrived along with a timeline laying out exactly how and when different services will be phased out. Starting this week, all product sales have ended, blockchain rewards have been turned off, and the game has entered its final maintenance phase. Full gameplay will remain live until December 29, with all servers, web access, wallet, NFT marketplace, and DEX support being cut off that day. Customer support and community channels will close on December 30.

In a post addressed to its player base, the dev team said they had done everything they could to keep the project alive but had faced ongoing financial pressure that made it hard to continue operations. They described the decision to shut the game down as a "difficult" one that came after discussions with Gravity, the IP holder of Ragnarok.

Ragnarok: Monster World's Journey From Launch to Shutdown

Launched in October 2024, Ragnarok: Monster World was pitched as a web3 strategy game mixing classic tower defense with blockchain ownership. It was created by ZERO X AND (0x&), a web3 studio that built the game using Gravity's IP license. The game's early appeal came from its mix of real-time battles, collectible monsters called Ragmons, and a reward system powered by its in-game currency ZENY and the onchain token $ZENY.

Gameplay centered around players choosing job classes like Magician or Swordsman, then building decks with monster and spell cards to attack enemy towers while defending their own. The game offered real-time PvP, monster breeding, and onchain conversion systems that gave players the ability to stake, trade, and earn blockchain rewards for their Ragmons.

For NFT holders, there were extra benefits like reward multipliers, leaderboard perks, and exclusive content through Genesis Tamers, the rarest assets in the ecosystem. ZENY, the game's utility currency, was used for everything from fusing monsters to unlocking advanced spells and guild access. All of these systems were tied to blockchain services that will now be deactivated in the coming weeks.

Fallout With Ronin in May Triggered Bigger Problems

Much of the current backlash around the shutdown stems from a high-profile fallout between 0x& and the Ronin Network earlier this year. Ragnarok: Monster World originally launched on Ronin, the Ethereum-based sidechain built by Sky Mavis, the creators of Axie Infinity.

Back in April 2024, the partnership between Ronin and ROMW was seen as a major moment for the chain. But by May 2025, it had collapsed. Ronin cut ties with 0x& after claiming that the team secretly worked with a competing blockchain while still promoting their project on Ronin. The developers denied the accusation, saying that their conversations about going multichain had been openly discussed with Ronin leadership from early on.

In a community statement posted at the time, Ronin said it had no choice but to end the partnership due to what it called a breakdown of trust. Ragnarok: Monster World NFTs were removed from Sky Mavis products, and the game was delisted from the Ronin Market shortly after. While those assets remained tradeable on decentralized markets, all official support from Ronin was withdrawn.

The team behind ROMW pushed back, stating that their cross-chain expansion was never hidden, and accused Ronin of misrepresenting events. They said no contractual obligations were broken and argued that conversations around the $ZENY token even began at Ronin's request.

CROSS Protocol Became the Game's Final Home

Following the breakup with Ronin, the developers moved ahead with a full launch on the CROSS Protocol, a blockchain that had supported the $ZENY token. That launch happened in April 2025, just before the conflict with Ronin became public.

Now, with the shutdown officially underway, CROSS has issued its own announcement confirming that ZENY will be delisted from the DEX. All NFTs tied to Ragnarok: Monster World will be removed from the NFT Market, and any related in-game functions will stop working once that happens.

Community Reaction: Accusations, Memes, and Frustration

Following the announcement, criticism quickly spread across social media, especially on X, where many web3 gamers voiced disappointment, anger, or mockery at how things ended.

One of the more viral posts came from @vert1dkrn, who earlier described the situation as "the funniest Web3 gaming rug in a while." The post criticized the move from Ronin to CROSS, calling it a confusing shift that left many players stuck holding NFTs on a chain the team was no longer focused on. He also said the team's closing statement sounded like it was written by ChatGPT and "didn't really state anything."

Another user, @inhuman, called the team "scammers," while @Tr3vorx said they had "tarnished" the Ragnarok IP. Some users mentioned that the developers are publicly doxxed and hinted that legal trouble could follow. Others simply expressed disbelief at how fast things fell apart.

User @Dejota_SPS questioned the sincerity of the team's message, saying that players and investors were the ones who lost, not the devs. "Communicate better," the post read. "Do better."

Still, not every comment was harsh. A few replies showed empathy. One player, @saiyiieee, said they personally knew people at the studio and recognized how hard the team had worked, despite things falling out of their control. 

A Rapid Rise and Fall in Just One Year

From its launch in October 2024 to today's shutdown roadmap, Ragnarok: Monster World lasted just over a year. While the game started with strong branding and a familiar IP, it ran into serious roadblocks, both financially and operationally. Its multichain plan inadvertently brought more problems than solutions, and tensions with Ronin became a turning point that many players believe the game never recovered from.

With key services now being phased out and full gameplay shutting down on December 29, the game's end is official. Blockchain connections, NFT features, and support channels will all be gone by the end of the year.