Game preservation — and how long developers should maintain online services — has been a hotly debated topic in the gaming community in the past few years, particularly now that more and more games rely on their online functionality for essential features. And now, Bandai Namco US’ announcement that it will be ending support for its Jump Force game has fans talking about this crucial issue again.
Jump Force is a 1v1 tag-team fighting game that first came out in 2019 and a port hit the Nintendo Switch in August 2020. The game was developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game was made in collaboration with magazine publisher Shueisha, and it was designed to celebrate 50 years of their popular Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Because of the magazine’s impressive history, the game was a who’s who of shonen manga protagonists, featuring characters from legendary series like Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Naruto.
