Google-Friendly EVANGELION Crossover Event Disappoints NIKKE Community

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.

Initial character designs, created collaboratively by Shift Up and Nikke, were deemed too suggestive by Evangelion's creators, necessitating modifications. While the revised designs satisfied the licensors, they failed to resonate with players. The resulting aesthetics lacked the appeal intended, leaving players unimpressed.

The problem extended beyond the character designs. Limited-time characters and costumes offered insufficient incentive for players to spend, particularly given the lack of significant visual differences. Asuka's premium gacha skin, for example, bore too close a resemblance to her base model.

Players, accustomed to NIKKE's distinctive style of bold anime characters and engaging narratives, felt the collaboration diluted the game's core identity. The overall event was perceived as uninspired and drawn-out, undermining NIKKE's strong foundation.

Shift Up acknowledged the criticism and promised to incorporate player feedback into future collaborations. The hope is that future events will showcase more compelling content. Meanwhile, both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE are available on the Google Play Store.