At gamescom 2026, Europe’s largest trade show in Cologne, developers at Naked Rain Studio shared new details about open-world role-playing game Ananta. The team not only showed off the contrasting rural landscape and the protagonist’s hometown for the first time, but also announced the long-awaited global release date of January 15, 2027. The project attracted a lot of attention with its unusual concept, which combines the idea of simulating life in a metropolis, role-playing multiple professions and saving the world by developing your own brand and popularity on social networks.
Japan Portal Reporter famitsu.com We spoke with representatives from the Ananta development team to discuss details such as open world design, kung fu combat system, non-player character traits, and the game’s long-term support plans, and we’ve prepared a quick summary of all the key points from this conversation for you.
- The developer has officially confirmed that “ANANTA” will be released on January 15, 2027, and the team is working hard to polish the game to ensure the highest quality when it is launched. They have been under a lot of pressure over the past year due to high expectations since the last show, but this has been a strong motivation for them to unite the team and prepare a lot of new elements. The author is committed to creating a game that can give users a deep sense of immersion and constantly bring surprises. He likens this experience to opening a box containing unexpected treasures.
- The game world is not limited to modern metropolises, such as the previously shown New Age City, but also includes vast rural areas rich in natural beauty, lakes, and tea plantations. The countryside shown in the new trailer is actually the protagonist’s hometown, where players will encounter all-new characters and a unique storyline. Each location has its own unique way of life and special encounters, and new stories will flow from them organically and naturally.
- The basic mechanic of the game is the popularity system, which reflects the protagonist’s journey from an ordinary person to a powerful influencer who ultimately saves the world. Completing various tasks and doing good deeds on the city streets helps increase the number of fans and subscribers, which directly affects the gameplay. As the character’s influence and social status increases, previously unreachable places open up before him, the size of the team expands, and opportunities to meet completely new people arise, reflecting very accurately the realistic modern social structure.
- This project places great emphasis on the diversity of role-playing and virtual life, allowing every player to find something to do that suits their goals and temperament. Different characters in the game have different careers, which fundamentally changes the gaming experience: some can choose the path of a truck driver and systematically earn reputation by delivering goods, others prefer to become police officers and catch criminals, and still others can live a relaxed lifestyle and just relax at home. All these various activities eventually lead to massive achievements, but still retain the secret goal related to saving the world.
- When creating the open world, a great deal of attention was paid to the development of non-player characters, making the urban environments look less like artificial trappings and instead feel truly alive and believable. NPCs are characterized by a huge diversity of appearance, age, and behavior, with their location and activity on the streets dynamically changing depending on the current time of day. To make the world more human and in-depth, the developers have given many of its residents their own unique stories that players can directly participate in.
- The game will be able to freely choose the gender of the protagonist (male or female) so that each player can relate themselves to the protagonist as comfortably as possible. Currently, however, character design continues to be refined to improve in-game dynamics.
- The project will offer a wide range of action elements, including car chases, stealth mechanics, stylish parkour, and a complex combat system inspired by classic kung fu movies. The developers consider high-quality and exciting combat to be an absolute priority, so this aspect of the design has been designed with particular care and attention to detail.
- The way you move around the world will be directly dependent on the specific location, giving players a huge fleet of various vehicles. If in a densely built metropolis the protagonist can fly gracefully between buildings, this is unrealistic in a wooded village, so there will be classic bicycles and authentic three-wheeled scooters with a body. Additionally, the game will feature the ability to control helicopters, yachts, and other vehicles, as well as participate in mini-games and activities unique to each region.
- The key element of monetization and personalization will be the rich appearance customization options without affecting the game balance, allowing you to deeply immerse yourself in the open world life. Players will be able to purchase and customize a variety of character outfits, customize vehicles, and build their own virtual homes. The author guarantees that by launch, the scope of customizable projects will be broader than the current demo version, and that new elements will continue to be added regularly after the project is released.
At the end of the interview, the developer addressed the audience and expressed his heartfelt thanks to the fans for their warm welcome to TGS. They said that through the large-scale world of “ANANTA”, the team is committed to providing unforgettable gaming experiences for gamers from all over the world. The author expresses the hope that the innovations presented will attract players and further stimulate interest in the upcoming version, and pledges to devote all his efforts to completing and perfecting all elements of the game in order to proudly greet players at launch.
