{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d34e8c5282d346d74973c0b2","clusterId":"c_0262d72936b3cf1fc8040fb9","slug":"battle-sweeper-ends-steam-distribution-owners-keep-access","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Battle Sweeper Ends Steam Distribution, Owners Keep Access","summary":"AlpaSun Games announced on November 9 that it will end distribution of Battle Sweeper, its free Minesweeper and RPG hybrid, on PC via Steam. Players who add the game to their library before distribution ends will still be able to download and play it afterward. The game launched on Steam in August 2020 at 520 yen, became free in April 2025, and holds a Mostly Positive rating from 24 user reviews.","whyItMatters":"A free Steam game that already sits in a library stays playable after delisting, so the only real deadline here is for people who have not claimed it yet.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eBattle Sweeper started as a paid release in August 2020 at 520 yen and was made free in April 2025. The loop keeps Minesweeper rules intact: numbers on tiles hint at monster positions, and opening every safe tile clears the stage. The twist is that a wrong click does not end the run. It starts a turn-based fight where the only choices are attack or heal, and winning lets the player keep clearing tiles.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlpaSun Games gave no reason for the delisting and thanked players. The in-game display does not support Japanese.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Battle Sweeper spent five years paid at 520 yen before going free in April 2025, and now AlpaSun Games is pulling it. A free game's delisting costs the studio nothing in refunds, which is why the notice reads as routine.","twitterPost":"Battle Sweeper went free in April 2025 and now AlpaSun Games is delisting it. Free games can exit Steam quietly because no one is owed a refund.","threadsPost":"Battle Sweeper launched at 520 yen in 2020, went free in April 2025, and now AlpaSun Games is ending Steam distribution. The library window matters more than the store page: anyone who adds it before the end keeps download access, so the delisting is a deadline for browsers, not owners.","newsletterBlurb":"AlpaSun Games will end distribution of Battle Sweeper on Steam, with no reason given. The free Minesweeper and RPG hybrid launched in August 2020 at 520 yen and went free in April 2025. Anyone who adds it to their library before the delisting keeps access.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261110-478459/\",\"title\":\"Free Steam Minesweeper RPG 'Battle Sweeper' to End Distribution Soon; Get It Now and You Can Play It Forever\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5337,"outputTokens":685,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1794305000,"createdAt":"2026-11-10T09:58:21.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-11-10T10:02:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-10T10:02:10.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0262d72936b3cf1fc8040fb9","canonicalTitle":"Steam無料・マインスイーパーRPG『Battle Sweeper』まもなく配信終了へ。今入手すればずっと遊べる","representativeArticleId":"a_5df0f2b28a01adfdbd721418","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Battle Sweeper\"],\"studios\":[\"AlpaSun Games\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-11-10T09:16:11.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-11-10T09:16:11.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-10T10:02:10.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261110-478459/","title":"Steam無料・マインスイーパーRPG『Battle Sweeper』まもなく配信終了へ。今入手すればずっと遊べる"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Battle Sweeper"],"studios":["AlpaSun Games"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["AlpaSun Games announced on November 9 that it will end distribution of Battle Sweeper on PC via Steam.","Battle Sweeper began distribution on Steam in August 2020 at 520 yen and was made free in April 2025.","Players who add Battle Sweeper to their library can still download and play it after distribution ends.","Steam user reviews give Battle Sweeper a Mostly Positive status, with 79% of 24 reviews positive.","The in-game display of Battle Sweeper does not support Japanese."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["battle-sweeper","alpasun-games"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"battle-sweeper","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":3,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"alpasun-games","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":1,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}