Creators of “GTA-anime” ANANTA Explain Dropping Gacha — Here’s How the Game Will Make Money

Tokyo Game Show 2025 concluded with a significant triumph for Naked Rain Studio and NetEase: their open-world urban RPG ANANTA was honored in the Future Division of the Japan Game Awards — a category that spotlights the most eagerly awaited titles.

The most unexpected decision was the absence of a character gacha system. For a free-to-play title with anime-style visuals comparable to Genshin Impact, that would have seemed almost obligatory. In an interview, however, producer Ash explained why the team rejected that approach.

“We designed the game around experiencing the lives of its characters. In real life you have a single life, but in ANANTA you can live as many lives as there are characters. We want players to freely choose characters and enjoy different perspectives. That’s why we decided to make them available without gacha.”

In ANANTA, every character will have their own distinct storyline and purpose within the city, and outside the main plot players can wander the metropolis and switch between characters at will. The developers feel a gacha system would disrupt the intended atmosphere of the game.

But how will monetization work then? Ash clarified:

“The core gameplay will remain entirely free. Paid content will be limited to skins and time-limited events.”

In addition to costumes, in-game currency will be used to purchase home and vehicle upgrades, while some cosmetics will be released through paid events.

ANANTA is being developed for PC, PS5, iOS, and Android, and pre-registration is already open.

Source: iXBT.games