Why NIKKE Players Felt Let Down by the Evangelion Crossover Event

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. Let's examine what went wrong with this August 2024 crossover event.

The Issues

Shift Up attributes the collaboration's failure to several factors. While Rei, Asuka, Mari, and Misato appeared in outfits faithful to their original designs, this didn't resonate with players.

Initially, Shift Up's designs for the Evangelion characters were deemed too suggestive by the Evangelion creators, leading to alterations. The revised, more conservative designs satisfied the licensors, but the resulting aesthetics disappointed the Nikke player base. The toned-down costumes lacked the appeal of the original concepts.

Player Reaction

The underwhelming costumes weren't the only problem. Players felt little incentive to spend on limited-time characters or skins, particularly given the lack of significant visual differences between the new skins and the base models. Asuka's gacha skin, the most expensive option, was criticized for being almost indistinguishable from her standard appearance.

Goddess of Victory: NIKKE's success stems from its bold anime aesthetic and engaging narrative. Recent collaborations, however, have diluted this identity, leading players to perceive them as lacking value.

The Evangelion event, despite the game's strong foundation, suffered from uninspired designs and a drawn-out structure. Shift Up acknowledges the negative feedback and promises improvements in future events.

Looking Ahead

Both Neon Genesis Evangelion and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE are available on the Google Play Store. Hopefully, Shift Up will learn from this experience and deliver more compelling collaborations and content in the future. For other gaming news, check out our coverage of Wuthering Waves' Version 1.4 update for Android.