Following the global success of Umamusume, its creators are bringing another long-running title, Granblue Fantasy, to a worldwide audience.
Japanese game studio Cygames has announced a global release for Granblue Fantasy, a long-running JRPG that was originally launched locally in Japan in 2014.
Granblue Fantasy is going global next March
The announcement was made during the Granblue Fantasy Fes 2025 livestream held on 28 December. The studio revealed that a Steam version is currently in development and will launch worldwide on 10 March next year, marking the game’s first official release outside Japan in 12 years.
During the livestream, it was also revealed that the game has been reworked into a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of its original vertical layout to better suit PC platforms. Additionally, players will not be able to link accounts or transfer data to the global version of Granblue Fantasy, meaning everyone will have to start fresh. Veteran players will thus lose out on their progress by shifting to the global version of the game.
A familiar move for Cygames
This decision follows Cygames’ successful global launch of Umamusume: Pretty Derby last June, which quickly became a worldwide sensation. The horse-racing game peaked at 87,400 concurrent players on Steam, won the prestigious Best Mobile Game of the Year award at The Game Awards, and even inspired fans to crowdfund real-life racehorses–among many other impressive milestones.
Cygames now looks to build on the impact of Umamusume with another global release from its library, giving a more than decade-old title its first opportunity to reach a worldwide audience.
A look at Granblue Fantasy
Granblue Fantasy is a popular free-to-play title that has expanded beyond its original format, spawning multiple anime adaptations, including Granblue Fantasy: The Animation in 2017, and the standalone Grand Blues! series in 2020.
The franchise has also produced several video game spin-offs, such as Granblue Fantasy Versus for consoles and PC in 2020, and Granblue Fantasy: Relink in 2024.
The game boasts several major names behind its production. Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu contributed to its soundtrack, while its art direction was handled by Hideo Minaba, also known for his work on the Final Fantasy series.
Although an English-language version of the game was released in 2016, its servers remained Japan-exclusive, making access difficult for players overseas. With this upcoming global launch, Cygames is opening the door wide for both longtime fans and newcomers to experience the beloved JRPG.
