LINE NEXT and Sega have confirmed that Rent-A-Hero Z, the recent mobile revival of Sega’s cult action-RPG franchise, will cease service on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 04:00 UTC.
The game launched in June 2026 on iOS and Android in a limited rollout covering Australia, Canada and India, and was positioned by publisher LINE NEXT as part of its wider Web3-focused business efforts.
According to the publisher’s notice, in-game purchases for paid currency and paid items will be disabled from September 7, 2026, and new downloads from app stores will be turned off the same day.
Players holding unused paid in-game currency were directed to request refunds via the publisher’s customer contact form.
In a statement issued alongside the shutdown notice, the development team said it had worked hard to deliver the best possible experience but — after careful consideration — could not continue operating the live service.
The team apologized to players for the closure, thanked the community for their support, and expressed regret that the project must end.
The statement added that the team will carry the memory of the project forward and hopes to meet players again with improved offerings in the future.
Rent-A-Hero Z’s launch followed an initial announcement from Sega in September 2024 that the company was partnering with LINE NEXT on a new entry in the Rent-A-Hero series.
The original Rent-A-Hero debuted as a Japan-exclusive on the Sega Mega Drive in 1991 and later received an enhanced Dreamcast remake (Rent-A-Hero No.1) in 2000, which eventually saw an Xbox release.
As part of the original promotion, LINE Corp. requested a new theme for the project; the music was composed by Master Hiro and performed by longtime Sega vocalist Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, with the theme slated to debut at Sega’s Tokyo Game Show presence during the event running September 26–29 (live performance on September 28).
That promotional material and the limited mobile release were documented in press coverage.
The publisher’s June 2026 storefront description emphasized action gameplay, exploration puzzles, high-difficulty missions and a global ranking system; earlier materials referenced LINE NEXT’s Web3 ambitions, though store listings for the release did not prominently advertise Web3 features.
There has been no announcement of a Nintendo Switch or eShop release for Rent-A-Hero Z.
Credit for early reporting on the shutdown goes to Lee Jackson.
The game launched in June 2026 on iOS and Android in a limited rollout covering Australia, Canada and India, and was positioned by publisher LINE NEXT as part of its wider Web3-focused business efforts.
According to the publisher’s notice, in-game purchases for paid currency and paid items will be disabled from September 7, 2026, and new downloads from app stores will be turned off the same day.
Players holding unused paid in-game currency were directed to request refunds via the publisher’s customer contact form.
In a statement issued alongside the shutdown notice, the development team said it had worked hard to deliver the best possible experience but — after careful consideration — could not continue operating the live service.
The team apologized to players for the closure, thanked the community for their support, and expressed regret that the project must end.
The statement added that the team will carry the memory of the project forward and hopes to meet players again with improved offerings in the future.
Rent-A-Hero Z’s launch followed an initial announcement from Sega in September 2024 that the company was partnering with LINE NEXT on a new entry in the Rent-A-Hero series.
The original Rent-A-Hero debuted as a Japan-exclusive on the Sega Mega Drive in 1991 and later received an enhanced Dreamcast remake (Rent-A-Hero No.1) in 2000, which eventually saw an Xbox release.
As part of the original promotion, LINE Corp. requested a new theme for the project; the music was composed by Master Hiro and performed by longtime Sega vocalist Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, with the theme slated to debut at Sega’s Tokyo Game Show presence during the event running September 26–29 (live performance on September 28).
That promotional material and the limited mobile release were documented in press coverage.
The publisher’s June 2026 storefront description emphasized action gameplay, exploration puzzles, high-difficulty missions and a global ranking system; earlier materials referenced LINE NEXT’s Web3 ambitions, though store listings for the release did not prominently advertise Web3 features.
There has been no announcement of a Nintendo Switch or eShop release for Rent-A-Hero Z.
Credit for early reporting on the shutdown goes to Lee Jackson.
