Nexon recently released a new 3D bishoujo game called Fareidolia (formerly known as Project RX). Since the development of the new product is carried out by the IO department (the team that created Blue Archive), fans’ reactions to the news were mixed: interest in the project was combined with concerns that an ambitious new product might tie up resources or lead to prioritizing it to the detriment of the previous game.
The developers commented on these concerns in a recent interview with INVEN. Game producer Min-so Cha said that during the launch phase of the Fareidolia project, he promised Yong-ha Kim (head of the IO department and CEO of Blue Archive) that the work of Blue Archive would not be affected. According to him, there are very few employees transferred from the Blue Archive team to the Fareidolia project, so the impact of the new project on the development of the previous project is “almost zero.”
In fact, this approach made the early stages of Fareidolia quite difficult: the project started with a minimum number of people, and new developers were only brought in once a strong understanding of the general direction of the new series was gained. Thanks to the influx of new people, the developers have managed to form a team that is both similar and different from the Blue Archive team. Yong-ha Kim added: “I would like to emphasize again that the development of Fareidolia will not harm Blue Archive, and the Blue Archive team itself is also constantly expanding.”
Yong-ha Kim and Min-so Cha also noted that while Fareidolia was created based on the experience gained by IO Division during the development of Blue Files, their goal was to create an entirely new series and a unique game, rather than positioning the new product as a direct successor.
In Fareidolia, players live side by side with girls with special abilities (called “Meites”) in a comfortable world reminiscent of the isekai genre. The story takes place in Anima City, a parallel world very similar to Earth. The player plays the director of the Anima City Rehabilitation Center and serves as the manager of the Tasogare Hall, the administrative building of the center. Players live side by side with “partners”, solve various problems in Anima City, and build relationships with girls at the same time. The game also features a combat system that combines elements of real-time combat and turn-based combat.
Although a release date for Fareidolia has yet to be announced, the first playable demo of the project was released at Tokyo Game Show 2026. This version is planned for release on PC, mobile devices, and consoles.
