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, stumbled due to several factors.
Initial character designs, created collaboratively by Shift Up and NIKKE, were deemed too suggestive by Evangelion's creators, leading to toned-down revisions. While the altered designs satisfied the licensors, they failed to resonate with players. The resulting outfits, while faithful to the originals, lacked the appeal to incentivize spending on limited-time characters or costumes. Asuka's gacha skin, in particular, was criticized for its striking similarity to her base model.
Player feedback points to a disconnect between the collab's execution and the game's established identity. Goddess of Victory: NIKKE's strength lies in its bold anime aesthetic and engaging narrative; however, recent collaborations, including the Evangelion event, have been perceived as diluting this core identity. The event itself was also criticized for feeling drawn-out and lacking inspiration in its design.
Shift Up acknowledges the criticism and plans to incorporate player feedback into future events. The hope is that future collaborations will better capture the spirit of both franchises and deliver more compelling content. In the meantime, both Goddess of Victory: NIKKE and Neon Genesis Evangelion are available on the Google Play Store.
