KLab’s smartphone RPG “Bleach: Brave Souls “celebrates its fifth anniversary today (23th June) with a bunch of celebratory events. Based on the popular anime and manga series “BLEACH,” the game is a 3D action RPG, which allows players to experience various original stories with “BLEACH” characters and allows you to form guilds with other players.
The game has recently opened the All Asia server, which supports multiple languages including English, Thai and Traditional Chinese. QooApp is honored to have a chat with the game’s producer Jun Morimoto (森本 隼) as he shared his thoughts about the fifth-year milestones and future plans for Bleach: Brave Souls.”
▍“Bleach: Brave Souls 5th Anniversary Celebration” Campaign
Q: Congratulations to “Bleach: Brave Souls” for the fifth Anniversary! Mr. Morimoto, can you share your comments on this milestone since the game launched on 23rd July 2015?
It seems long, but it was a short 5 years. The mobile game industry is so competitive that there are many high quality works released every year. We are grateful for the continuous support of the “BLEACH” fans and players from all over the world, which keeps us improving the operation of the game.
Q: What are the most impressive moments throughout these five years?
There are so many things I was happy about and I can’t really focus on one. Beyond the context of the TV anime, it was exciting for the game to collaborate with the movies, the novel and The Thousand Year Blood War arc. It was also a pleasure to hold different events, such as the annual “Bleach: Brave Souls Bankai Livestream,” which gives a rare opportunity to fans to interact with the anime’s voice actors.
I still remembered the day when we held the 2nd-anniversary campaign for the game on 23rd July 2017. Though we had prepared in advance, the user access was way higher than expected, causing a communication error with the server. Since then, the operation team works hard everyday to improve the server and the game system, in order to prevent the issues of that day from happening again.
Q: What were the most popular events in the game last year?
“THE Alternate Rebirth” event that collaborated with the “BLEACH” novels was indeed very popular. The event series featured an original story supervised by “Bleach: Spirits Are Forever With You” novelist Ryōgo Narita (成田 良悟). The event also featured an original sub-story and I am glad that people enjoyed it.
Q: We are very excited about the “Brave Souls 5th Anniversary Celebration” Campaign. Can you introduce what events we can expect this year?
We have prepared a lot of events for players to enjoy the game during the annual anniversary campaign.
Like the past years, we have prepared a special Summons and quests for players to obtain limited edition characters. Also, in order to thank players for their continuous support, there will be special quests and login bonus campaigns giving away free Summons and abundant rewards.
Q: Which parts of the “Brave Souls 5th anniversary Celebration” Campaign do you recommend the most?
Apart from the free Summons and rewards giveaway, the “5th Anniversary Celebration” Campaign also features a special event story that we hope players will find entertaining.
This year’s Bleach: Brave Souls 5th Anniversary Bankai Live Stream aired on 19th July 2020. The livestream featured a special game corner for players around the world to interact with the cast members from the “BLEACH” anime. The video has been uploaded to our archive, please don’t forget to check it out! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6IZ_qu6ZLc)
A special campaign giving away 555 original goods will also be held on the official Twitter, where players have the opportunity of getting the game’s original bomber jackets and a bunch of “BLEACH” goods until 29th July.
▍Behind the Scenes
Q: Can you explain the process of creating a character for the game?
We usually start from selecting the character and deciding the theme. The design may come from a specific theme, like Christmas or Halloween, or from a character.
Then, we will consider how the character is involved in this particular theme. After that, we will design the costume and proceed with making them into illustrations and 3D graphics.
Q: Please share the design concept and process of creating the 5th anniversary characters.
We try to select popular characters that are memorable to all “BLEACH” fans, as they will be the character of the year. We also focus on showcasing a side of the character that no one has ever seen before. The character’s relationships also help to convey the key ideas of the themes.
Q: Can you tell us more about the creative process of the skill animation?
The skill animation is created based on the anime and manga. Regarding the game’s original characters, we produce a performance that matches the character’s image and setting deriving from a specific theme.
Q: The multiplayer contents of “Bleach: Brave Souls” always intrigue players. Will the game add more multiplayer quests with a maximum of 8 or 16 players to participate in?
The game currently has several multiplayer modes, including “Co-Op”, “Epic Raids,” and “Guild Quests” that players can use to go against each other or battle together.
In addition to improving the current Co-Op system, we are also considering to provide new functions in the multiplayer quests. We hope to create a game that “BLEACH” fans from all over the world can enjoy.
Q: Some users indicate that there are not enough communication methods in the “Co-Op” quests. Will the game add fixed phrases or other functions for players to communicate more effectively?
A “Chat” function was added to the game in April. We hope that it can help players to communicate more effectively. We also plan to add fixed phrases and character dialogue to the “Chat” channel in the near future.
▍ Asia Debut of “Bleach: Brave Souls”
Q: “Bleach: Brave Souls” was officially released in Asia on 9th July 2020. Please share your thoughts about this.
There are many “BLEACH” fans in Asia and I am glad that the game was finally released in the Asian regions. Though it has been five year since the game was released in Japan, we have prepared a lot of content for Asia players to join at the same time.
Q: Were there any difficulties in releasing the game in Asia?
When the game was first launched in 2015, we did not expect that the game would support so many languages as it does today. We have put a lot of effort into modifying the UI so it can adapt to different languages.
The operation team is familiar with the original “BLEACH” series, but we had a hard time collecting information on how “BLEACH” was translated in different countries. With regard to Thai, there were many special rules for the letters, which made it increasingly challenging to deal with.
Q: Since the game was newly launched in Asia, please introduce the charm of the game.
First of all, the game allows players to relive the fascinating story of “BLEACH”. An auto mode is also available for players who are not familiar with action games. The game also features a difficult mode for players to nurture different characters and challenge yourself.
Q: Will the past events and characters return in the Asian version?
Past events can be found in the sub-story section, and are released constantly. The event characters will also be featured in the Asia version periodically, so Asian players still have the opportunity to collect them all.
▍Future Plans
Q: What are the future plans for “Bleach: Brave Souls?”
The “BLEACH” series is celebrating the 20th anniversary this year and “Bleach: Brave Souls” would be more than happy to join the celebration. The game also has plans to add new functions and new forms to bring out the charms of the characters.
Q: Any message for the fans of “Bleach: Brave Souls”?
In “Bleach: Brave Souls”, players are able to engage with the signature “BLEACH” characters in exciting battles. I hope that players will enjoy the exciting moves and attractive characters that the game presents.
▍ Game Info.
Game Title: Bleach: Brave Souls
Launch Date: 23th July 2015 (Japanese), 9th July 2020 (Asian)
Genre: 3D Action
Platforms: iOS、Android
Price: Free-to-play (in-app purchases available)
