
Restoring service safeguards revenue from live‑ops and maintains player trust, crucial for mobile shooter monetization. The compensation package aims to boost re‑engagement after a prolonged outage.
ACECRAFT: Sky Hero, Vizta Games’ hand‑drawn vertical shooter, has carved a niche in the crowded mobile bullet‑hell segment since its launch. The title’s vibrant art style and fast‑paced boss encounters attracted a dedicated community, making it one of the few indie‑flavored shooters to sustain steady revenue on iOS and Android. In January 2026 the studio pulled the game—and its sister title Silver and Blood—from app stores to undertake a comprehensive server‑side overhaul, citing aging infrastructure and scalability concerns. The pause sparked anxiety among players who feared lost progress.
Vizta Games reports the backend revamp is now 90 percent complete, positioning the March 2026 relaunch as a near‑term certainty. Players will reinstall an updated client, but all existing accounts, inventory, and event standings will transfer unchanged, mitigating the typical data‑loss risk of major patches. To reward patience, the studio introduced a tiered compensation package: daily reward multipliers, doubled Element Trial tickets, and a one‑time double bonus, plus extra Pappo Fruit tied to recruitment. Such incentives aim to boost re‑engagement metrics and smooth the transition back to live service.
The ACECRAFT comeback underscores a broader trend where mid‑size developers prioritize server reliability to protect monetization pipelines. As mobile gaming revenue increasingly hinges on live‑ops and seasonal events, any prolonged outage can erode player trust and churn rates. Vizta’s transparent communication and generous compensation set a benchmark for crisis management, potentially influencing peer studios facing similar infrastructure bottlenecks. Looking ahead, the successful March relaunch could reinvigorate the title’s leaderboard competition, attract new downloads, and provide a case study on balancing technical debt with community goodwill.
Vizta Games has announced that their beloved bullet‑hell shooter, ACECRAFT: Sky Hero, is now preparing to resume services in the US, following its earlier removal from the app stores. The team is finishing the final infrastructure updates and the game is expected to return in March 2026.
You’ll get increased daily rewards, more tickets, and a one‑time double bonus as downtime compensation.
There is still no update on Vizta Games’ Silver and Blood.
For those still unaware, ACECRAFT: Sky Hero, or ACECRAFT, is a fully hand‑drawn vertical shooter that brought a fresh twist to the bullet‑hell genre. I personally had a great time controlling the Ace Pilots and blasting through waves of enemies and projectiles, especially the vibrant boss fights.
A few weeks ago in January 2026, the devs began major infrastructure updates for this title and Silver and Blood, suspending services for both. Now, the good news is we can expect to once again dive into ACECRAFT from March 2026, as the updates are almost done.
Moreover, the devs have also confirmed that once servers reopen, we just need to install the updated game package to enjoy it again. Don’t worry— all your existing account data will remain intact, and they’re even rescheduling events that were missed during this whole process.
Another good news is the team is also expanding the compensation plan, offering you extra Pappo Fruit tied to the recruitment system for each day of service interruption. Plus, you’ll get double Element Trial Tickets per day. And that’s not all— there will be a one‑time double bonus too. I love when studios take care of their communities.
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...