Lord of Heroes to Shut Down May 9 as Clover Games Files for Bankruptcy

Clover Games, the developer behind several mobile titles, officially filed for corporate bankruptcy with the relevant court on April 9, 2026. The filing follows a period of persistent financial deterioration and the depletion of the company’s capital, leading to the impending shutdown of all its active game services.

The bankruptcy affects three primary titles: the studio’s oldest game, Lord of Heroes, as well as the more recent releases HEAVENHELLS: Anime Squad RPG and Ayakashi Rise: AFK Demon Hunt. These games, which spanned different genres from turn-based strategy to idle RPGs, are all set for end-of-service proceedings.

Service Termination Timeline

The official termination of services is scheduled to proceed in stages starting May 9, 2026, at 14:00 UTC+0. However, the company has warned that servers may be shut down earlier than this date due to the legal specificities of bankruptcy proceedings and the terms of external server providers.

To protect users from further financial loss, Clover Games preemptively disabled all in-app purchases across its titles on April 6, 2026.

Financial Struggles and Internal Efforts

CEO Yun Seong-kuk stated that the company faced a cycle of cumulative deficits driven by intensifying competition in the gaming market. Despite the bankruptcy filing, the studio attempted several self-rescue measures to sustain operations.

These efforts included company-wide cost-cutting measures implemented by executives and employees. Yun Seong-kuk personally invested over ₩3 billion of his own funds over the last three years to maintain the game services.

As of April 9, 2026, Clover Games has officially filed for corporate bankruptcy with the relevant court. 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.

Yun Seong-kuk, CEO of Clover Games

The CEO noted that the company eventually reached a point of total capital impairment as funds were depleted and losses became too high to manage.

Impacted Titles

The shutdown removes three distinct gaming experiences from the market:

• Lord of Heroes: Released in 2020, this turn-based strategy RPG focused on narrative and a progression system that allowed heroes to reach full potential regardless of rarity.
• HEAVENHELLS: Anime Squad RPG: A more ambitious title featuring real-time combat and anime-style storytelling centered on a fight against a demonic invasion.
• Ayakashi Rise: AFK Demon Hunt: An idle RPG experience set in a supernatural version of Tokyo.

Refunds and User Access

Regarding the recovery of funds, the company stated that because the bankruptcy filing has been submitted to the court, it has become difficult for the developer to process refunds directly for users.

Users are advised that access to the games may be cut off without prior notice if third-party server providers decide to terminate access following the commencement of the bankruptcy proceedings.