MIXI is winding down the crossover game Fesba+ with Colopl, with service ending November 11, 2026, while CEO Hiroki Kimura publicly frames the company's strategic shift from games to sports betting as a response to the limits of free-to-play games.
MIXI's most recent public moves center on two fronts: shutting down a crossover game and explaining a strategic pivot. The company, together with Colopl, announced on August 4 that Fesba+ (also written Festa+), a team action game featuring characters from Shironeko Project and Monster Strike, will end service on November 11, 2026 at 16:00 JST. The game launched in August 2024 as Festibattle and was renamed in January 2025. New jewel purchases and friend invitations stopped on August 4, and new memberships stop on September 2. The operators apologized for not meeting expectations.
Days earlier, at GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2026, CEO Hiroki Kimura laid out the company's trajectory across three paradigm shifts: from social network to mobile game to sports betting. He traced Monster Strike's 4-player co-op design to Monster Hunter's viral structure, and described failed expansions in China and the US. He framed the move to sports betting, via the TIPSTAR app, as a response to the saturation of free-to-play games, with TIPSTAR replicating the festival-like excitement of gacha. The current focus is India, where MIXI is leveraging anime collaborations and the absence of Chinese competitors.
Together, the stories show MIXI closing a chapter on a crossover experiment while its CEO publicly ties the company's future to betting mechanics built on the same social engagement that drove Monster Strike.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
3d ago
Bandai Spirits is launching a new Gundam figure brand called ABSOLUTE ACT, built around the ABSOLUTE ACTION SYSTEM for articulation. The first entry is the Strike Freedom Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, which received its world first display at TOKYO Toy Show 2026, running from August 27 to August 30, 2026. The approximately 185mm tall ABS/PVC figure features movable mechanisms in the neck, shoulders, and waist, plus a waist rail mechanism and shoulder pull-out mechanism for dynamic posing. It includes a high-energy beam rifle, two beam sabers, a connected saber handle, two beam shields, interchangeable wrist parts, and a base with a bendable support rod. Reservations begin August 27, 2026, at general retail stores, with release scheduled for March 2027 at 16,500 yen including tax. TOKYO Toy Show 2026's first two days are trade-only, with public access on August 29 and 30. The show also featured other Gundam items at the Bandai Spirits booth, including Gundam Miximize Gundam Zero and HG 1/144 Gundam Zero.
Aug 10
Colopl and MIXI announced that the party royale game Fesba+ ~FESTIBATTLE~ will end service on November 11, 2026. The game, which launched in August 2024 and features characters from Shironeko Project and Monster Strike, will stop new jewel purchases and friend invitations on August 4, and new memberships on September 2. Daily gratitude missions run until the end.
Aug 8
Colopl announced on August 4 that the team action game Festa+, developed with MIXI, will end service on November 11, 2026 at 16:00 JST. The game, which launched as Festibattle in August 2024 and was renamed in January 2025, will stop new jewel purchases and friend invites immediately.
Jul 19
In a talk at GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2026, MIXI CEO Hiroki Kimura reflected on the company's three paradigm shifts: from social network to mobile game to sports betting. He detailed how Monster Strike's 4-player co-op design was inspired by Monster Hunter's viral structure, the struggles of global expansion in China and the US, and the current India strategy leveraging anime collaborations. Kimura also explained the pivot to sports betting through TIPSTAR, citing the limits of F2P games.
Jul 17
At GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2026, MIXI CEO Hiroki Kimura recounted his 27-year career, from launching Monster Strike to pivoting to sports betting. He detailed how the game's viral 4-player co-op model, inspired by Monster Hunter, was adapted to the social referral structure of MIXI. He also discussed failed US and China expansions and the current India strategy using anime IP and the absence of Chinese competitors. Kimura described the move to sports betting as a response to F2P market saturation, with the TIPSTAR app replicating gacha's festival-like excitement.