Developer's Note 26.08

Hello. I'm Hyungsuk Yoo, the director of GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

The sweltering summer is gradually drawing to a close. I would also like to express my gratitude to all Commanders who have weathered this exceptionally hot summer.

There is more to cover in this Developer's Note than usual, so I will get straight to the main points.

September Event Announcement

First, I would like to introduce the events coming in September.

In the previous PROJECT MATIS, the story primarily focused on the Matis Squad, which left us feeling a bit regretful that Drake's storyline was relatively short.

To make up for this, the new story event GREAT VILLAIN UNION will feature more of Drake's story. It is scheduled to launch in early September, and I hope you enjoy it.

In mid-September, the brand-new Bunny Girl event COIN RUSH SHOWDOWN will launch.

The Bunny Girl theme has consistently received positive feedback from Commanders, so I imagine many of you are curious which Nikke will be featured.

I can't reveal who it is just yet, but a Nikke that was first introduced before 2025 will appear in the event with a brand-new look.

Personally, I think the visuals turned out quite well, so you may look forward to it.

Alongside this, in mid-September, the 3.5th Anniversary story event STAR ANIS will be added to the Event Archives.

The story of T.T. STAR stands on its own while also serving as a prelude to the subsequent Third Surface Reclamation War. With the Third Surface Reclamation War approaching, you might want to revisit STAR ANIS.

Costume Rerun and Nikke Rerun Notice

In mid-September, some previously sold limited costumes will return, and several limited-time Nikkes will also be available for recruitment again. Please see below for details on the returning costumes and Nikkes.

Costumes Scheduled for Rerun

● Mary - Medical Rabbit

● Viper - Toxic Rabbit

● Folkwang - Moist Rabbit

● Exia - Hacker Rabbit

● Bay - Radiant Rabbit

● Alice - Sweet Home

Nikkes Scheduled for Rerun

● Rupee: Winter Shopper

● Anne: Miracle Fairy

● Ludmilla: Winter Owner

● Mica: Snow Buddy

● Maiden: Ice Rose

● Guillotine: Winter Slayer

If there are any Nikkes or costumes you have been waiting to obtain, we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Narrative Enhancement Development Update

In a past Developer's Note, I mentioned our plan to further strengthen the narrative elements within GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

While we are not yet ready to reveal everything we have been preparing since then, I would like to share a brief update on our progress.

One thing I have noticed while reading Commanders' feedback online and offline is how your affection for NIKKE's story continues to grow stronger year by year.

I feel the exact same way.

The story from the OVER ZONE update was compelling in its own right, but the characters, world-building, and overall narrative have since gained a depth that is difficult to compare with what we had back then.

Accordingly, we place great importance not only on the story content itself, but also on how we present that story to you within the game.

The most immediate change you will likely notice is the greater number of event scenes shown as the story progresses.

Beyond this, we are also carrying out various system-related R&D and development work in parallel. The content we are preparing is scheduled for a phased rollout over roughly one year, from Q4 of this year through the game's 5th anniversary in 2027.

While we believe it is still too early to go into full details for each item, we are preparing to enhance the narrative from multiple perspectives, including elements related to SD characters, features to increase story immersion, and customization features.

We will introduce them one by one as the timing becomes appropriate.

Notice Regarding Future In-Game Collaborations

As mentioned above, we are making various preparations to enhance the narrative, but it would be even better if we could expand opportunities to provide original stories.

In this regard, starting next year, we plan to adjust the collaboration plan slightly to add opportunities to provide original stories for GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

Until now, NIKKE collaborations have generally been large-scale events featuring a 3D field, a two-part story, three characters, including one distributed for free, and a mini-game.

However, future collaboration events will be divided into two plans: Plan A, which retains the existing large-scale event format, and Plan B, a newly introduced smaller-scale format.

Plan B will exclude mini-games and 3D fields, feature fewer characters, and include a simplified story similar to an April Fools' Day event. Since these collaboration plans will run alongside NIKKE's original events, we expect them to achieve two goals: expanding opportunities to tell NIKKE's stories and giving prospective Commanders who have not yet experienced NIKKE a good opportunity to try the game.

Please note that if we determine that a collaboration theme would satisfy a large number of Commanders, we may still use the Plan A format depending on the circumstances.

Notice Regarding Short Animation MINIKKE

It has not been long since we released the short animation series Outpost, Off-Duty Tales, but we would like to introduce another short animation that we have been preparing.

MINIKKE is a short animation series centered on SD characters, consisting of 10 five-minute episodes.

Although prominent Nikkes such as the Goddess Squad and the Old Tales Squad will be featured, the series will be even lighter and more casual than Outpost, Off-Duty Tales, so we hope you can relax and enjoy it like a small gift.

As we continue to expand the IP across various media, we hope you enjoy this short animation and share your thoughts with us.

MINIKKE will be released sequentially beginning in early September.

Notice on Improved Accessibility to Storyline

In mid-September, we will add a shortcut that allows you to access Storyline, which shows the chronological order of the story and its actual update order, directly from the lobby.

Previously, finding this feature was somewhat cumbersome, but going forward, you will be able to access it directly from the lobby.

We hope this will make it easier to follow the stories scattered across various types of content.

In particular, with the upcoming Main Scenario reaching a crucial point, this is a great opportunity for anyone who has not yet caught up on the full story to follow everything that has happened so far.

If you complete the entire Main Story by October 8, you can also obtain Recruit Vouchers and Custom Modules through the ongoing TRAIL MARKER event, so we hope you will take advantage of it.

Convenience Improvements for OVERLOAD Equipment

Overload Equipment is an important system for strengthening Nikkes, but in practice, it has not been as convenient to use as it should be.

In particular, repeatedly using the feature to obtain the desired effects and values involved many unnecessary steps, which even experienced Commanders could find cumbersome.

We have therefore taken another comprehensive look at these issues and are preparing several improvements to make Overload Equipment easier to use.

While several improvements are planned, today I would first like to introduce the two that I believe will have the greatest impact.

The first concerns improvements to the Lock Effect feature.

Currently, even if you want to keep a specific effect locked when using Change Effects or Reroll Values, you must select the same effect again each time, which is inconvenient.

Going forward, the selected effects will remain locked.

This may seem like a small change, but because Overload Equipment is used repeatedly, we believe it will make the system significantly more convenient in practice.

The second improvement will prevent the exact same result from appearing again when using Change Effects or Reroll Values.

Currently, the same effects and values sometimes reappear even after using Change Effects or Reroll Values.

We do not consider it a good experience when nothing changes after using the feature, so we will update it to prevent identical results from appearing.

However, please note that an empty option slot may remain empty after using Change Effects.

These Overload Equipment improvements, including the two described above, are scheduled for the mid-September update. Further details will be provided in a future patch note.

Addition of Battle Simulation for Solo Raid Challenge Difficulty

We have recently received multiple reports that some players have been using private servers or other means to practice the Solo Raid Challenge Mode in advance.

After reviewing the relevant information, we have not found any evidence of publicly available private servers operated for profit at this time.

However, we have continued to monitor and take necessary action against abnormal clients and environments that are publicly accessible or otherwise detectable. That said, privately created files or environments used exclusively by individuals are difficult to fully identify and verify externally, so we cannot guarantee that all such environments have been completely blocked.

Since Solo Raid Challenge Mode is a competitive gameplay where players compete for rankings, even if only a small number of players have access to an environment that allows them to practice in advance, its existence could potentially affect the fairness of the competition.

Therefore, to provide all Commanders with the most equal practice conditions possible, starting in mid-September, we will make the Mock  Battle mode available from the first day of each Solo Raid, allowing all players to practice the Challenge Mode in advance.

This will allow you to study the boss's patterns in advance and thoroughly test different Nikkes and squad combinations.

Additionally, we believe this function will not only ensure fairness but also help us identify combat-related issues more quickly.

We have continued to improve our processes for minimizing combat issues, including establishing a dedicated quality-management (QM) team and expanding its staff. These changes are gradually taking effect, but we do not believe the results have yet reached a satisfactory level.

Until we have sufficient quality and systems in place, we believe providing Battle Simulations in advance will be a great help.

However, if we rely too heavily on Battle Simulations alone, we cannot expect to build a bright future for GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

Because our unique and complex combat system is difficult to QA, we will do our utmost to steadily improve its quality.

Notice on Arena Improvements

In GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE, many Commanders consider the story and boss battles to be the main content they enjoy.

Arena may feel somewhat cumbersome depending on your playstyle, but there are also Commanders who consistently enjoy it most by studying team compositions and combat strategies.

However, looking back, Arena has not received as many improvements and refinements as our other major content.

To address some of these shortcomings, I would like to share several Arena improvements that we are preparing.

First, we plan to make several improvements to Arena battle replays.

Battle replays will provide more detailed combat logs than before and show key moments such as Burst Skill use and Nikkes being incapacitated.

In addition to offensive battles, you will be able to view replays of defensive battles involving players ranked in the Top 50 of SP Arena.

Additionally, you will be able to select and view replays for individual rounds. We hope this will make it easier to review battle results and prepare future strategies.

With these improvements, Champion Arena will transition from beta to its official release.

To add more strategic depth to the official version, players will be able to reorganize their squads not only before the group stage begins, but also before the quarterfinals and the final.

The cheering feature in Champion Arena will also be improved.

We will update the tournament cheering screen so that you can compare participants' squad setups side by side, making it easier to choose whom to support.

Previously, only Commanders ranked in the Top 4 of SP Arena could qualify for Champion Arena, which made participation quite limited. We are therefore expanding qualification to the Top 8 of SP Arena, allowing more Commanders to experience Champion Arena firsthand.

Because players cannot choose whether they attack or defend in Champion Arena, we will also standardize the target-priority rules for attackers and defenders. The attacker's rules will be used as the standard, and the change will apply to all Arena modes.

Specific details and instructions for each improvement will be provided in a future patch note and in-game announcement.

Finally, to ensure stable updates for SP Arena and Champion Arena, we ask for your understanding that the Champion Arena season scheduled for late October will not be held because it coincides with the update.

Notice on Changes to Game Resource Structure

GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE uses a vast array of resources, including music, event scenes, various 2D assets, and 3D assets such as backgrounds, Raptures, and SD characters.

Throughout development, we have sought to place as few restrictions as possible on what our creators want to express. As the service has continued, the volume of resources that must be managed within the game has grown rapidly.

Although we have continuously optimized loading times and memory usage, we have determined that sustaining the game over the long term will require us to improve not only individual assets but also the fundamental way we manage resources.

In particular, we expect features such as partial downloads, which allow players to download only the resources they need, to become essential in the future.

To implement these features reliably, we must first make a comprehensive adjustment to the underlying resource structure.

Therefore, we plan to change the game's underlying resource structure with the early September update. At that time, all Commanders will need to download the full set of resources once.

Because this is a backend structural change, there will be no visible changes to the in-game resources themselves. However, because the download may be relatively large, we wanted to notify you in advance.

We understand that downloading all resources again may be inconvenient depending on your network environment.

However, this work is necessary to manage GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE's resources more reliably and efficiently and to sustain the game over the long term, so we ask for your understanding.

Closing Remarks

The story recently took another step forward in Main Scenario Chapters 47 and 48.

Because Chapters 47 and 48 were slightly shorter than previous chapters, some of you may have wondered whether there were any problems during scenario development.

To be clear, that is not the case.

I believe finding the right pacing for each story is more important than keeping every scenario the same length.

If I required the scenario writers to meet a fixed length every time, it could instead become a constraint on their creativity.

Some stories need ample time to unfold, while others are better served by moving quickly when the moment calls for it.

We therefore allow our scenario writers some flexibility in determining each chapter's length based on its role and what makes it engaging.

Going forward, rather than simply delivering more story content, we will prioritize presenting each story in the form that serves it best.

And now, I believe I can share a little bit about where these stories are heading. It is no exaggeration to say that the milestones of the various stories we have followed so far are all pointing toward the 4th anniversary.

I am personally very excited about this 4th anniversary story.

While it is still too early to reveal specific details without risking spoilers, judging solely by the number of event scenes and new songs currently in preparation, this will be the largest anniversary update we have ever had.

As the stories we have built up over a long time are converging into one major milestone, we will prepare everything thoroughly so that the time you have spent following NIKKE's story will not be in vain.

Finally, I would like to share a brief personal update. Recently, I was appointed Vice President of SHIFT UP.

I had intended to focus this Developer's Note solely on the game and not mention the appointment separately. However, I received congratulatory messages from far more people than I expected, and I felt it would be improper to let this occasion pass without expressing my gratitude.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Having an additional title does not change my vision for GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

On the contrary, my resolve to make NIKKE a better game that can be enjoyed for many years has only grown stronger.

Beyond immediate updates, I will continue making the necessary preparations one by one so that GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE can remain in service for years to come.

SHIFT UP, our publishing partner Level Infinite, and I will do everything we can to achieve that goal.

As a small token of my appreciation for your congratulatory messages, we will also be sending a modest gift via in-game mail, so please be sure to check it.

I hope you will continue to follow GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE through the upcoming 4th anniversary and beyond. Thank you, as always, for your love and support for GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE.

Thank you.

Hyungsuk Yoo

GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE Team