CounterSide:A [ANTEXILIAN], a reboot of the recently shut-down urban fantasy RPG Counter:Side, gets announced nearly a week after the original's service officially ended.
Counter:Side's Reboot Gets a Reboot Named ANTEXILIAN
StudioBside Reveals New Project After End of Service
Counter:Side announces their next title to be CounterSide: A [ANTEXILIAN]. On September 2, developer StudioBside opened official social media channels for CounterSide: A [ANTEXILIAN], shortened to CounterSide: A, confirming that the promised reboot of the urban fantasy RPG is officially underway.
The reveal comes remarkably fast on the heels of the original game's shutdown. CounterSide's live service ended on August 26, 2026, meaning the reboot's announcement landed roughly almost a week later, a notably quick turnaround for a studio that had only just wrapped up its previous title's send-off.
CounterSide originally launched in February 2020, first published by Nexon before StudioBside moved to self-publishing later in its run. The game closed out a six-year run built around its line-battle combat and an ongoing narrative about the Counters, a group of fighters holding back an alternate dimension from consuming the real world.
StudioBside CEO Ryu Geum-tae confirmed the shutdown back in June, explaining that new story updates had already been paused since April and that the team had reached the difficult conclusion it was time to pause CounterSide's story. That same announcement first gave the idea of a reboot, though StudioBside gave no specifics at the time beyond stating it wanted to revisit what CounterSide, at its core, should truly be.
The gap between that initial idea and CounterSide: A's actual reveal ended up being much shorter than many might have expected. Cafe Strega, the game's offline community space, closed its doors back on June 28, and CounterSide's servers went fully dark on August 26, yet StudioBside had a named project and branding ready to show fans within a week after closure.
What We Know About Counterside: A So Far
Little is known for now, as the official CounterSide: A channels have only shared a few posts, with one illustration featuring the new logo alongside three returning characters, Hilde, Yoo Mina, and Joo Shiyoon. The project's social profile describes the game as a "hard-boiled urban lane battler," which closely echoes the original CounterSide’s style. At this time, other details such as gameplay, platforms, or release window have yet to be fully confirmed.
Some fans dissecting the name itself have pointed out that "Ante" translates to "before," while "Exilian" likely derives from the Latin word for exile, meaning that it roughly translates to "Before Exile." Chapter 11 of the original story, titled Exile, marked the point where the character Swan Claire revealed herself as an antagonist. With that in mind, some players have started to speculate the reboot could be a retelling or an alternate timeline of events leading up to that turning point.
Players Uncertain About the Reboot
A number of former players on Reddit pointed to the "Global Origin" overhaul from a few years back as the turning point that damaged the game's reputation. They cited grindy changes to leveling systems and gear crafting that drove away a chunk of the player base and contributed to the original director's resignation. Some also connected CounterSide's decline to StudioBside shifting resources toward its other title, Star Savior, whose own rocky launch has left some fans doubtful about the studio's current stability.
That skepticism carried on to the reboot announcement itself. Others highlighted the speed of the turnaround, with some suggesting it felt more like StudioBside reacting to Star Savior's poor performance instead of a well-planned continuation of CounterSide's story. Others raised pointed concerns about players losing their previously purchased characters, gear, and cosmetics when the original game shut down, only to potentially be asked to spend money again in the new project.
Few pushed back further, noting the reboot had technically been telegraphed in the original shutdown notice, while others drew comparisons to how different franchises have handled predecessor games during a sequel's rollout, pointing out that some studios keep an older title running rather than shutting it down entirely before a follow-up arrives. Sentiment landed somewhere between guarded curiosity and distrust, with many fans saying they're waiting for concrete gameplay or story details before deciding whether to give the reboot a try.
Source:
CounterSide Official Notice | End of Service Announcement
