The game KAIJU NO. 8 THE GAME by Akatsuki Games, released on August 31, 2025, will mark its six-month anniversary this February. Amidst increasingly fierce competition in the free-to-play market, the game seems to be staying afloat.
AUTOMATON magazine recently spoke with Kaiju No. 8 The Game producer Shinya Fujita to learn more about how the game is doing, what strategies helped it succeed, and how the development team handled the "content drought" after launch.
Fujita-san reported that the team managed to get off to a good start. Releasing the game simultaneously with the anime broadcast was a major challenge for them, but thanks to their colleagues, the launch was warmly received.
The mobile game market has been experiencing a so-called "Warring States period" for the last ten years, and simply attracting attention to a new game, let alone getting people to play it, has become extremely difficult. I think we managed to reach so many players precisely because of the close cooperation with the teams working on the original manga and anime.
The theme of the six-month anniversary will be "Another Dimension." The main, original story of the game will reach an important turning point, and the developers will add more game-exclusive elements, expanding the world of Kaiju No. 8 in ways even fans haven't seen before.
I'm especially excited about the chance to see a new transformation form for Kafka Hibino (Kaiju No. 8), developed in full cooperation with the original publishers. I think even long-time fans will be surprised to see it. When you hear 'Kaiju No. 8,' the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly Kafka's current form — Kaiju No. 8. I think introducing a new No. 8 design into the game is a rather bold move for the entire series. I hope players are eagerly anticipating what the new form will look like, what abilities it possesses, and how the story will develop further.
Since KAIJU NO. 8 THE GAME is a game based on existing intellectual property, releasing the game during the anime broadcast — when hype was at its peak — was an extremely important factor. For example, Reno Ichikawa in the No. 6 suit appeared in the anime a day before launch, and the developers implemented him into the game the very next day. The fact that the anime and game introduced the character almost simultaneously is an unprecedented case.
Since the original series attracts a wide range of people, regardless of age and gender, the developers adjusted things like character acquisition and mission difficulty so that anyone could play without issues. On the other hand, since some players were playing very enthusiastically, the developers also received feedback that they were "getting bored quickly." That's why the team immediately moved to accelerate the development of additional content.
In some games, completing daily missions can take an hour. But we understand that players have a lot to do in other games and with other content, so we wanted our game to be one they could play quickly and comfortably alongside everything else.
Early on, the positive reception of the game's exclusive character, Sagan Shinomiya, became one of the main indicators of success for the team. Of course, one reason for her popularity was that she is a strong character, but even setting that aside, many players went to great lengths to obtain her.
But the exclusive content of KAIJU NO. 8 THE GAME won't end with Sagan's appearance. The world of Kaiju No. 8 is very well-developed. This has allowed us to feel that we can continue developing original stories and appealing original characters based on its foundation for a long time to come. Of course, the manga and anime characters remain the core and are absolutely important.