To celebrate the monumental milestone of Granblue Fantasy‘s 10th anniversary, we reached out to Granblue Fantasy’s producer Yuito Kimura and creative director Tetsuya Fukuhara for their thoughts on the game’s landmark achievement. With so many games to manage in the ever-growing franchise, they still found time to answer our questions about their favorite memories and upcoming goals!
Granblue_en: You’ve been talking about Granblue Fantasy’s 10th anniversary being just around the corner for 2 years now—how does it feel now that the game has hit such a major milestone?
Yuito Kimura (KMR): Honestly… Time really flew by these past 2 years, especially since we had so many updates. We might have hit a milestone, but it feels more like just another stop on our ever-continuing adventure toward the end of the skies.
These 10 years were only made possible by all the skyfarers who journeyed together with us. We’ve still got a lot more in store, so I hope you’ll continue to enjoy Granblue Fantasy for many more years to come.
Tetsuya Fukuhara (FKHR): Time really passed by in the blink of an eye. I’ve had Granblue on the mind constantly since development started almost 12 years ago, so this moment honestly doesn’t feel much different from any other special occasion. But logically I recognize that 10 years is a huge accomplishment. I’m grateful for the support of every skyfaring fan out there, as you’re the reason we’ve come so far. We’ll keep working hard to make sure the game still has plenty of fun to offer.
Granblue_en: What are some notable moments or developments that have stuck with you from these 10 years of Granblue Fantasy?
KMR: Big updates like Arcarum: The World Beyond and our Battle System 2.0 come to mind, as well as the many times that Unite and Fight was interrupted due to some unfortunate issues. There are also a lot of memorable moments that got trending, like those from Granblue Fest, but what sticks out to me recently is the long-awaited release of Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Big thanks to everyone who played and made our launch a success.
FKHR: 10 years ago when the game released, the market was shifting from browser games to downloadable apps for performance and quality reasons. Believing in the potential of browser games, we stuck with that for development, which allowed us to push out numerous updates and grow our player base into what it is today. Over the years, we’ve polished our skills and even exceeded the limits of what people expect from browser games, thanks to the efforts of Cygames’ excellent artists and brilliant engineers. It’s truly been an incredible 10 years when I think about all the progress we’ve made.
Granblue_en: You mentioned in previous interviews that you wanted to make it to 12 years to finish out the Zodiac cycle. With that soon to be accomplished, what grand goal do you have in mind next?
KMR: A lot can change in 10 years, especially for games. I’m not sure I can give an exact goal for the next decade, but I guess lately I’ve been thinking about how to make the game enjoyable for skyfarers of all levels, from beginners all the way to the most advanced.
FKHR: Hitting the 10-year mark is definitely a landmark occasion, but it doesn’t really change much in terms of how we approach development. We’ll keep striving to make the best game possible, to the best of our abilities and beyond. In terms of a concrete goal… It’d be nice if we could carry on for another decade so our skyfarers and their children could enjoy Granblue together.
Granblue_en: Finally, do you have any words for your growing global audience?
KMR: We couldn’t have made it to 10 years without the support of every skyfarer out there. I’m glad we were able to ship out Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Granblue Fantasy: Relink globally and in different languages for everyone to enjoy. (And if you happen to know someone who’s grown interested in Granblue because of either of these two games, I’d love it if you could drag them into the main game as well.)
As the world of Granblue expands further and further, there will be even more to enjoy ahead. I hope you’ll keep sticking with us to see what the future brings.
FKHR: I remember how friendly and welcoming everyone was the first time I got to meet overseas fans at Anime Expo in 2019, alongside our producer, Mr. Kimura. Since then, even more people have become fans of Granblue through Granblue Fantasy Versus and Granblue Fantasy: Relink, which I’m really thankful for. I’ll keep putting my best foot forward to show even more of the world the magic of Granblue Fantasy, so I’d love it if you could continue to support us for many years to come!
Many thanks to the producer and director of the game for taking time out of their schedules to answer our questions! Here’s to another 10 years!