‘Pocket Mortys’ Shutting Down: A Final Blow to a Franchise Still Reeling from Roiland’s Exit?

The multiverse is getting a little smaller this spring. Adult Swim has officially announced that Pocket Mortys, the long-running mobile game that brought the Rick and Morty experience to the Pokémon genre, will permanently shut down its servers on April 13, 2026.

While the shutdown of a ten-year-old mobile game isn’t unusual in the industry, for Rick and Morty fans, the news feels like another signal of a brand in transition—or, according to some, a brand in decline.

A Bittersweet Farewell

To mark the game’s tenth anniversary and final months, developers have unlocked the “Morty-dex” for everyone. All in-game items and microtransactions are now free, and rare Mortys have been released into the wild for players to collect before the lights go out.

“After ten amazing years, Pocket Mortys will come to an end,” the developers stated. “Keep squanching with us until April 13th.”

Compounding Brand “Woes”

The end of Pocket Mortys comes at a time when the Rick and Morty franchise is facing intense scrutiny. Since 2023, the brand has been navigated through a series of high-profile setbacks:

• The Anime Backlash: Rick and Morty: The Anime was met with significant criticism from the core fanbase, with many feeling it failed to capture the sharp wit of the original series.

• Recasting Struggles: While critics from extreme liberal press outlets have praised the work of new voice actors Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, audience scores for Season 7 and 8 have remained more polarized than in the show’s early years with ratings at an all-time low.

• Contracting Ecosystem: The closure of the brand’s most successful mobile tie-in suggests a pivot away from the expansive “transmedia” approach the franchise once enjoyed.

The Shadow of Justin Roiland’s Firing

For a vocal segment of the community, these struggles are inextricably linked to the removal of co-creator and lead voice actor Justin Roiland.

In early 2023, Adult Swim and Hulu severed ties with Roiland following allegations of domestic violence. However, just months later, the criminal charges were dismissed by the Orange County District Attorney due to “insufficient evidence.” This dismissal led many fans to label the initial allegations as “baseless” and the firing as a premature corporate overreaction.

While Adult Swim pointed to additional reports of workplace misconduct and inappropriate online behavior as further justification for the split, the “Roiland era” remains a gold standard for many. To these fans, the shutdown of Pocket Mortys—a game that leaned heavily into Roiland’s improvisational humor and character work—is just the latest piece of the franchise’s “soul” being stripped away.

What’s Next for Rick and Morty?

While the game is ending, the Rick and Morty universe is continuing to expand on television. Despite the shutdown, Adult Swim has plenty in the pipeline for 2026 and beyond:

• Season 9: While not officially dated, there is significant speculation that the ninth season of the flagship series could debut later in 2026. Adult Swim has already renewed the show through Season 12.

• The President Spin-off: A new series focusing on President Curtis (voiced by Keith David) is currently in development, aiming to expand the lore of the show’s supporting cast.

An Uncertain Future

Despite the “woes,” the Rick and Morty engine continues to turn. With a renewal through Season 12 and a new spin-off focusing on President Curtis in the works, Adult Swim is betting that the IP is larger than any one creator or mobile game.

However, as the servers for Pocket Mortys prepare to close this April, the franchise finds itself at a crossroads: can it reinvent itself for a new decade, or is it merely managing the sunset of a cultural phenomenon?