With Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME continuing to expand following its launch, we spoke with the game’s Promotion Producer about how the title has evolved in response to player behavior, live-service realities, and the conclusion of the original manga. We previously had the chance to interview the game’s developer, Akatsuki Games, prior to the title’s launch.
In this interview, he discusses the unexpectedly strong reception to Expedition Battles, the challenges of balancing spectacle with replayability, and the philosophy behind positioning the game as a “parallel canon” within the world of Kaiju No. 8. From original characters like Sagan Shinomiya to long-term roadmap planning and the upcoming “Total War” mode, we learned about how the team is shaping the game’s future heading into 2026. Read on for the full interview.
Q: In the first months after launch, what did you learn from real player behavior that would have been impossible to predict during development?
A: The key factors were “the pace of content consumption” and the strong enthusiasm for the tower defense–style “Expedition Battles.”
At launch, we prioritized accessibility and ease of play. As a result, content was cleared at a far faster pace than anticipated, leading to feedback that there was “nothing left to do.”
Meanwhile, the tower defense–inspired sub-content, Expedition Battles, exceeded expectations among players who favor deeper, more core gameplay. Due to this strong response, we quickly added a Hard Mode.
As a result, even during the early post-launch period when available content was limited, players continued to engage deeply with Expedition Battles. Even now, as battle content has expanded, it remains an important and long-lasting secondary feature that players continue to enjoy.
Q: Reviews often praise the presentation and faithfulness to the anime. When you look at player feedback and retention data, are there specific friction points you’re prioritizing for 2026, or has the experience largely matched expectations?
A: The goals are to reduce battle monotony and improve the quality of playtime.
While the richness of battle presentation is one of the game’s strengths, we have also received feedback regarding the pacing during repeated play. Rather than relying on simplistic time-saving measures such as increasing playback speed or cutting battle animations, we are focusing on improving the quality of the experience itself—adding variation through enemy types and wave composition so that battles feel like an engaging experience rather than a repetitive task
Q: If you’re able to share, what’s one post-launch change you made, or are seriously considering, because players used systems differently than you originally anticipated?
A: This would also be the expansion of the “Expedition Battles (Tower Defense)” mode.
Originally, it was intended as a light, “palate-cleanser” type of content. However, players engaged
with it so deeply that some content creators began posting videos dedicated exclusively to this
mode. The decision to implement a Hard Mode—something not included in the original plan—as
well as to pursue further expansions, was driven entirely by the passion and enthusiasm of our
players.
Q: With the original manga concluding in July 2025, how do you decide what the game should carry forward from the source versus what it should invent? Is that balance clearly defined, or still evolving?
A: Our core policy is to fully respect the worldbuilding and settings of the original work and anime, while clearly establishing the game as a “parallel canon” that tells its own story.
Rather than simply retelling the story of the original work or anime, the game’s main narrative is built around an original storyline that branches off after the death of Director General Isao Shinomiya. This approach explores a game-exclusive “what if” scenario—one that differs from the conclusion of the original work and anime, and is uniquely possible within an interactive medium.
At the center of this original storyline is Sagan Shinomiya, a game-original character. She is Kikoru’s adoptive older sister and shares a backstory in which they spent time together in the United States. While she is an original character, her role and relationships are deeply rooted in the established settings and character dynamics of the original work and anime. By doing so, we aim to ensure that longtime fans can embrace the story without a sense of dissonance, while also encouraging them to rediscover the appeal of the original narrative through a deeper, expanded perspective.
In short, the balance between “faithful adaptation” and “original creation” is achieved by building a new, game-exclusive story—a diverging future—on the solid foundation of the original work and anime’s established lore. Through this approach, we aim to offer existing fans a never-before-seen vision of the Kaiju No. 8 universe, while providing newcomers who discover the franchise through the game with a rich and immersive original story experience.
Q: Original characters like Sagan, Chester, Suited, and newer additions such as Wang Meixing expand the world beyond the manga. Without giving too much away, what internal guidelines help ensure new characters feel natural within the Kaiju No. 8 universe?
A: Our most important guiding principle is that these are not “characters created for the game’s convenience,” but rather “characters created to expand the world of Kaiju No. 8.” We believe that game-original characters will not be accepted by fans of the original work and anime unless they meet two critical requirements: they must not feel like inferior versions of existing characters, and they must carry a strong sense of believability and narrative justification.
For example, the character Sagan Shinomiya was born from deepening an established setting from the original work and anime—that Kikoru graduated top of her class at a U.S. neutralization university—and asking a necessary question: “Who supported her during that time?” This sense of inevitability is what led to Sagan’s creation.
On the design side as well, we have received rigorous supervision, including direct feedback from the original creator, Naoya Matsumoto, such as: “Does this design have meaning?” We do not choose designs simply because they “look strong.” Instead, we push for authenticity within this world—military credibility, and a functional rationale for fighting disasters (kaiju). By pursuing this level of grounding, even a new character can feel as though they “could have always existed” within the original and anime universe—creating true credibility and acceptance.
In other words, it’s not enough for a character to be powerful in gameplay. We work closely and thoroughly with the rights holder to refine each character’s backstory, ensuring they serve to expand the world of Kaiju No. 8 and can be embraced naturally and authentically by fans.
Q: Chapter 7 moved the story to Dubai and introduced Kaiju No. 6 into the game’s main storyline. When planning major chapters like this, does narrative usually drive location and kaiju choices first, or do gameplay needs lead the process? Or is it more iterative?
A: More accurately, this was born from the mutual influence between the “scale of the story” and the “freshness of the gameplay experience.”
The narrative vision of portraying the global scope of the Kaiju No. 8 world aligned organically with the game team’s desire to deliver new battle experiences in previously unexplored environments, such as the icefield map. These two ambitions came together during the development process.
By repeatedly iterating on both the story and the gameplay, we continue to refine and elevate each, ensuring that narrative and play reinforce one another.
Q: To the extent you can discuss it, how far ahead is the original main story currently outlined: a few chapters, a full “season,” or something longer-term?
A: Because the main story requires extensive development time, including supervision and approvals, we operate on a long-term roadmap that extends well into the future.
For this Half Anniversary, we prepared a series of shocking developments designed to exceed expectations in a positive way—such as Kaiju No. 8 transforming into the “Scorching Variant,” having absorbed the lingering embers of rage in a parallel-universe Dubai, and Sagan Shinomiya’s new form, “Mode: Lance,” in which she transforms her great shield into a spear, accepting the physical risks that come with it.
In fact, the response far surpassed our expectations. Through the Half Anniversary special program and across social media, we received an overwhelming reaction, allowing us to truly feel the passion and enthusiasm of our fans.
Looking ahead, we are continuing preparations to deliver even more surprises that go beyond expectations, and to keep bringing players new and exciting experiences.
Q: The pity thresholds and split between character and weapon banners are frequent topics in community discussions. What principles guide your thinking when evaluating summoning systems and economy adjustments: generosity, clarity, time-to-target, or other factors?
A: The two key principles are “ease of acquisition” and “long-term asset accumulation.”
One of the defining features of this title—the carryover pickup medal system (pity system)—was
designed with the intention of allowing players to continue playing without feeling that their efforts
are wasted. Our top priority is to ensure that players can first obtain characters, and then fully enjoy the
processes of growth, progression, and battle.
Q: Some players mention that progression can feel repetitive in the mid-to-late game. Are there systems or structural changes you’re exploring to address this, or is this still under evaluation?
A: We focus on giving each event its own distinct “flavor.”
Rather than simply making enemies stronger, events are designed so that the required strategies and effective characters vary from one event to the next, preventing the experience from feeling repetitive.
In addition, to avoid the game becoming overly battle-centric, we are also exploring the expansion of non-battle content that further enriches and supports the game’s worldbuilding.
Q: The Steam version launched about a month after mobile. Were there any notable differences in how PC players engaged with the game, and did those insights influence your roadmap?
A: Actually, we found that there was no significant difference in player behavior between the mobile
and PC versions.
This was a welcome discovery for us, as we see it as evidence that the tactile feel of the game’s battles and the sense of immersion in the story are being enjoyed consistently across devices. It also reinforces our confidence in the game’s cross-platform approach.
Q: From a production standpoint, what aspect of live operations has proven most resource-intensive so far: content creation, balance tuning, cross-platform QA, or something else?
A: The two key pillars are close collaboration and supervision with the original work and anime teams, and ensuring the quality of 3D presentation.
We work as a single unified team under the Kaiju No. 8 IP, maintaining close and ongoing coordination with the original work and anime teams to create stories and worldbuilding that meet the same level of quality as the source material. This close collaboration is an integral part of our daily content development process.
In order to fully and faithfully bring those stories and that world to life through 3D models and animations, we place a particularly strong emphasis on 3D presentation, allocating resources without compromise to ensure the highest possible level of quality
Q: For players who tried the game at launch and moved on, what would you say are the strongest reasons to give it another look now?
A: Now is the perfect time to return, as the game has seen a significant expansion of content over
the past six months, and the Half Anniversary brings an added sense of celebration.
The lack of content volume that was a challenge at launch has been fully addressed, and there is now a wealth of deep, replayable content to enjoy. In addition, we are offering generous resources to help returning players jump straight back into the action, including up to 80 free gacha pulls as well as campaigns and content that allow players to earn up to 30,000 Dimensional Crystals.
Powerful, story-defining developments also await—such as Kaiju No. 8 transforming into the “Scorching Variant,” and Sagan wielding her spear—bringing players right to the heart of the narrative. We invite everyone to come back and experience this excitement for themselves.
Q: Looking ahead to 2026, are there particular types of additions you’re most excited about: new modes, cooperative features, deeper endgame systems, larger story arcs, or something else?
A: Starting with the upcoming Half Anniversary, we will introduce “Total War” as a new battle challenge.
As the name suggests, this mode puts a player’s full strength to the test, allowing them to deploy up to four squads—up to 16 characters total—making it the ultimate culmination of both strategy and character development.
Looking further ahead to 2026, the story will finally move beyond the boundaries of dimensions. Beginning with Chapter 8, the game-original main storyline will begin unfolding on an epic scale.
While we can’t share full details just yet, it appears that someone—perhaps Suited—is plotting something by harnessing the power of defeated dimentional identified kaiju…
We hope you look forward to seeing how the game’s original world continues to evolve in the chapters to come.
Q: Live-service players invest time and money based on confidence in long-term support. To whatever extent you can share, what can you say about Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME’s future in terms of update cadence, long-term planning, or team commitment?
A: Seeing game-original characters and worldbuilding—starting with Sagan Shinomiya—not only accepted but embraced with enthusiasm by fans of the original work and anime has become our greatest source of confidence as an operations team.
Based on player reactions since the game’s release, we are now certain that expanding a game-original story on the strong foundation of the original work and anime is something our audience truly wants. With a long-term vision and a strong sense of commitment to making this a title that will be loved for years to come, we will continue striving to deliver game experiences that live up to—and exceed—your expectations.
We would like to thank the Promotion Producer and the entire Kaiju No. 8 THE GAME development team for taking the time to share these detailed insights into the game’s ongoing evolution. It launched Round 2 of its Half Anniversary campaign earlier this month, introducing a new 5-Star unit, [Scorching Variant] Kaiju No. 8.
More information is available at kj8-thegame.com.
© JAKDF 3rd Division © Naoya Matsumoto/SHUEISHA
© Akatsuki Games Inc./TOHO CO., LTD./Production I.G
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