Game publisher Ambition revealed on July 30 that its live-service puzzle game Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost will cease operations on July 31. This decision comes following the announcement of Ambition Co., Ltd’s closure.
According to a report by credit investigation firm Tokyo Shoko Research, Ambition was issued a provisional administration order and a comprehensive prohibition order by the Tokyo District Court on July 3. The provisional administration order involves entrusting asset management to a court-appointed administrator, typically granted during the period between bankruptcy filing and formal decision to secure a company’s assets. A comprehensive prohibition order, meanwhile, restricts creditors from taking actions like compulsory execution. Essentially, this indicates that Ambition has filed for bankruptcy.
The end of service has been disheartening news for many fans of the game, but players were further dismayed to learn that Ambition has no plans to provide refunds for unused Ability Stones, the main in-game currency used for character gacha in Tales of the Lost. The company cites Article 14, Paragraph 1 of the Terms of Service (Article 13, Paragraph 1 in the English version), stating: “The Company bears no responsibility for repayments or payments of any damages to you or any third party in the event of partial or full interruption of the Service.”
However, under Japan’s Payment Services Act, Article 20, Paragraph 1, issuers of prepaid payment instruments (such as in-game currency) must refund any outstanding balance if they discontinue business related to these instruments. This legally obligates Ambition to refund unused Ability Stones to players. Additionally, Paragraph 2 of the same Article requires the issuer to notify customers of the refund intention and set a claim period of at least 60 days.
The discrepancy between the game’s Terms of Service and Japanese Law has sparked criticism within the community, with many players questioning the legality of Ambition’s refusal to issue refunds.
Notably, in an official disclosure based on the Payment Services Act released by Ambition for their iOS games, the company stated that while refunds are generally not issued after a product sale, this policy does not apply in cases of discontinued content—a statement that contradicts their recent announcements.
On a related note, while Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost is shutting down, other games previously published by Ambition have reportedly been transferred to new publishers. Users report that titles such as Arcatopia, Nijiiro Kanojo 2d, Fairy Doll, and Rogue of Déjà vu, among others, are now being published by Vitalify.