Marvelous cancels Story of Seasons Mobile as Tencent partnership ends

Marvelous is closing the book on Story of Seasons Mobile, following six years of development. Created in collaboration with gaming giant Tencent, the decision comes from Marvelous’s choice to withdraw from future business with Image Frame Investment, a subsidiary company under the Tencent umbrella.

The cancellation of the free mobile game marks the biggest immediate impact of the split. While Tencent has abandoned development, the original licensing agreement remains in place, meaning Marvelous can still partner with another publisher if it decides to bring Story of Seasons Mobile back in the future. This doesn’t appear to have any effect on the company’s upcoming releases, including the next mainline Story of Seasons game.

The dissolution of this partnership carries knock-on effects for Tencent, as it will no longer be associated with affiliated businesses. According to a report from GameBiz, Marvelous confirms that Tencent subsidiary Image Frame Investment will reduce its ownership from 20.01% to just 0.99% through a combination of share buybacks and stock sales. Going forward, Marvelous founder and former Sega CEO, Hayao Nakayama, is the company’s largest shareholder.

@pockettactics

Thanks @Marvelous Games for the #gifted Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Limited Edition! We love it, you can check out our full review over on Pocket Tactics 💖 #StoryofSeasons #cozygames #cozy #farming

♬ Original Sound – Unknown

In May 2020, Image Frame Investment purchased a 20% stake in Marvelous, equating to around $65 million, placing IFI as the biggest shareholder as a result. Over the last few years, Tencent has invested heavily in Japanese game developers, but a recent Eurogamer report suggests it’s reevaluating those holdings as it shifts its focus toward larger, more profitable ventures. That strategy has already started to take shape elsewhere.

Last year, Tencent partnered with Ubisoft to form Vantage Studios, a subsidiary that now oversees several of Ubisoft’s biggest franchises. With Tencent now scaling back its investment in Marvelous, we could see Tencent avoid focusing on long-term projects akin to Story of Seasons Mobile. For fans of the series, including many of the Pocket Tactics team, it could have found a place among the best RPGs on iOS and Android.

That day won’t be coming anytime soon. However, if you’re still keen to explore what the series has to offer, you can check out Ruby’s Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town review, where she says it “is an outstanding life sim with in-depth farming aspects, adorable romance options, and gorgeous ferrets.” Or if you’re looking for the most recent entry, Holly’s Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar review can point you in the right direction.