The web game "Kantai Collection -KanColle-," which tasks players with collecting "Kanmusu" (ship girls) based on World War II warships (primarily from the Imperial Japanese Navy), still boasts a strong player base, with its multimedia spin-offs remaining incredibly popular.
However, SEGA Fave dropped a bombshell yesterday (10/8), announcing that while the arcade game "Kantai Collection Arcade" is still playable in arcades nationwide, with cards available for purchase starting at 100 yen, "the supply of raw materials needed to produce the cards has ceased." This has made future production incredibly difficult and sparked a heated discussion among players, who are baffled by the idea of trading card production being halted due to raw material shortages.
On October 8th, the operations team issued a statement on their official website and X (formerly Twitter) titled "A Request for Assistance as 'Kantai Collection Arcade' Approaches its 10th Anniversary," detailing the card material shortage. They stated, "We will do our best to judiciously utilize our existing stock of Kanmusu cards, allowing as many players as possible to enjoy 'KanColle Arcade' for as long as possible." They also urged players to "keep the number of cards printed during gameplay to the absolute minimum necessary" to help extend the game's lifespan.
Furthermore, in light of the card supply situation, a new "No Print Mode" will be introduced starting October 9th. In this mode, the arcade machine will not dispense Kanmusu cards, but players can still enjoy the full game content as usual. This feature is designed to ensure the game experience can continue even after card stock runs out. The team hopes for players' understanding and support, and asks for continued encouragement for "KanColle Arcade" moving forward.
Of course, for many "Admirals" (players), this arcade game has been around for over a decade. Card-based arcade machines typically see rapid updates, and if the cabinet isn't refreshed, similar issues can easily arise. However, refreshing the cabinet often leads to game revisions, potentially rendering old cards incompatible with new machines.
(Note: Pokémon arcade machines, for example, are continuously updated with different cabinets, and cross-version play isn't possible.)
Over the past decade, "Kantai Collection Arcade" has churned out countless limited-time events and new Kanmusu. The revelation that the very cards used to play the game are now facing a raw material shortage has left many players with a mix of emotions.
Adding to the situation, customer service policies regarding Kanmusu cards are also being adjusted. Moving forward, the official team will focus more on supporting the game itself, and requests concerning "excessive print quality" will no longer be accepted.
In other words, "Kantai Collection Arcade" cards are now becoming a "limited resource," and the official team has entered "card-saving mode" to extend the game's lifespan. Admirals who play might want to start treating their existing cards as rare, out-of-print treasures.
