STUDIOBSIDE will cease new updates for its urban fantasy collectible RPG 'COUNTERSIDE' starting April 29 and will also discontinue the sale of monthly subscription products.

STUDIOBSIDE PD Kim Hyun-soo shared the future operational plans for COUNTERSIDE in a developer note released today (the 24th). The game will end new content updates following the release of a new Awakened Employee on April 29, transitioning to a system that periodically rotates legacy content. Monthly subscription products will also be discontinued after the April 29 update, and any remaining benefits for active subscriptions will be issued in full.

PD Kim Hyun-soo will also step down from his role as COUNTERSIDE PD at the end of April. Expressing his gratitude for the players' support, Kim announced that the final new Awakened Employee will be provided for free rather than through the gacha system. Players will be able to obtain duplicates of this character through event missions and main story completion rewards to perform limit breaks.

COUNTERSIDE is an urban fantasy collectible RPG launched by STUDIOBSIDE in February 2020, initially through Nexon. The game features a story about the Administration and other factions fighting to save a world on the brink of destruction due to the emergence of the Counter Side and Corrupted Objects, utilizing a unique gameplay style that incorporates line defense mechanics. In its early days, the game faced challenges due to inconsistent illustration quality, an unintuitive story, and unrefined monetization. However, it saw a resurgence following the 2.0 update, which overhauled the monetization and gameplay loop while showcasing the potential of the scenarios that had been built up over time.

Following a transition to self-publishing in 2023, the team pursued various initiatives to revitalize the game, including opening the themed 'CaffeStrega' in Pangyo and participating in AGF for consecutive years. On the 22nd, the game concluded its Season 3 story with the update of Episode 15, 'The Golden Tree and the Pruning Girl.' However, following the announcement on March 27 regarding the termination of the Prestige Skin service—which was available to players who reached a certain cumulative spending threshold—the cessation of new updates on April 29 and the resignation of the PD suggest that the game's six-year journey is entering its final phase.