Hit music games Beatstar and Country Star are shutting down in October, developer NextBeat has confirmed.
In a blog post post first spotted by pocketgamer.biz, the UK developer confirmed that both games will be permanently shut down on October 31 2025.
As we reported last week, NextBeat was running the games with just six staff after Duolingo swooped in to acqui-hire most of the NextBeat team. NextBeat’s plans to raise funding and expand its roster of games were also on ice after the Duolingo deal, outgoing boss Simon Hade told us.
“It is with great sadness that we have made the tough decision to stop development on Beatstar and Country Star,” said NextBeat. “As of October 31 2025, both Beatstar and Country Star servers respectively will be permanently shut down and the game will no longer be accessible.”
NextBeat continued: “It has been an absolute pleasure to have created something as wonderful as these games have been for the past 4 years, and even more of a privilege to witness the game and our incredible community grow.”
The developer is offering refunds on any in-app purchases from the last 30 days, the blog continued, and all current events and season passes will run until the game is shut down on October 31.
An FAQ also confirms that there are no plans for the game to live on through private servers, and it will not be sold to another company.
Now just four staff remain at NextBeat, who will see the game through to its closure in October.
