NetEase Games' New Open-World RPG Looks Like an Anime…

Summary

Chinese publisher NetEase Games announces Project: Mugen, an urban-styled open-world action RPG that resembles an anime version of Grand Theft Auto.
NetEase has been expanding its gaming division, acquiring studios and hiring creators from around the world.
Project: Mugen features an evocative anime art style, action RPG elements, and the ability to explore the open world through driving and train travel. It will be released for PS5, PC, and mobile devices.

Chinese publisher NetEase Games announces a brand-new urban-styled open-world action RPG known as Project: Mugen, which looks like an anime-styled version of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series. The publisher has expanded its gaming division in the last few years, acquiring a number of different studios for game development. This includes hiring creators across the globe, as seen with the likes of a former Like a Dragon creator forming a subsidiary studio under NetEase's umbrella. While it has been acquiring studios, it seems like some of the games made under these partnerships are ready to be revealed soon.

NetEase announced earlier this August that one of its newest game studios, Naked Rain, will be unveiling new information about an upcoming game in the near future. It described the game as an immersive open-world game that takes place in an urban cityscape. A few days later, fans got the first look at this new game, now known as Project: Mugen, along with some of its target platforms and some of its gameplay.

The piece of key art for Project: Mugen shows three girls posing for the camera while overlooking a dense city that this open-world game will take place in. It has an evocative anime style, with the girls also sporting some distinct designs. Based on some of the preview GIFs that were posted on ResetEra, there will be chances for the player to drive around and explore the openworld in cars and motorbikes, similar to Grand Theft Auto's vehicles.

There also appears to be some sort of action-RPG elements in the game, where one of the characters can be seen attacking an enemy on the rooftops, using a unique set of yo-yo-like weapons. It also seems like the player can travel by train to get around as well. Many fans were impressed with the graphics, where the anime art style makes this open-world game stand out. The game is slated to be coming out on PS5, PC, and mobile, supporting both iOS and Android devices.

The tweet from Project: Mugen's official Twitter leads to the game's website, though it only shows the three girls along with a bit of the music and some voice clips of the characters in both Chinese and Japanese. There is also a big countdown in the background of the art, which is promising more information about the game on August 24. The likely event it is referring to is Gamescom 2023, which will take place in Cologne, Germany from August 23-27. It's entirely possible that gameplay footage and possibly the game's title could be revealed at the gaming industry event.

Project: Mugen is currently in development for PC, PS5, and mobile devices.