Shift Up's Goddess of Victory: NIKKE collaboration with Neon Genesis Evangelion fell short of expectations, according to a recent interview with the game's producer. The August 2024 event, featuring Rei, Asuka, Mari, and Misato, encountered several setbacks.
Where Did It Go Wrong?
The initial designs for the Evangelion characters, created collaboratively by Shift Up and the NIKKE team, were deemed too suggestive by Evangelion's creators. Subsequent modifications, while satisfying the licensors, failed to resonate with players. The resulting designs, while faithful to the originals, lacked the appeal to incentivize players to acquire them.
Player Reception:
The issue wasn't solely the character designs. Players felt a lack of incentive to purchase limited-time characters or costumes, particularly given the underwhelming nature of the skins. Asuka's gacha skin, the most expensive option, bore too close a resemblance to her base model, failing to entice players.
The NIKKE fanbase appreciates the game's distinctive style of anime characters and engaging narrative. However, recent collaborations, including the Evangelion event, have been perceived as diluting this identity, leading to player dissatisfaction. The event itself felt drawn-out and lacked inspiration.
Shift Up acknowledges the criticism and plans to incorporate player feedback into future events. Hopefully, this will lead to more compelling collaborations and content in the coming months.
You can find both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE on the Google Play Store. The hope is that future collaborations will be more successful.
For more gaming news, check out our coverage of the Wuthering Waves Version 1.4 update on Android.
