Following a successful launch in 2023, the fighting game Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising has earned itself quite a following extending into the esports scene.
The original Granblue Fantasy Versus was released in 2020, pretty much during the worst possible time for a fighting game with competitive ambitions. Yet, Cygames and Arc System Works did not give up and got back to work to relaunch the game in the current incarnation to try again. This is a fairly unique situation in the fighting game scene.
Against all odds, Versus: Rising succeeded, cutting itself a space in the competitive scene and recently appearing at the Arc World Tour tournament (where we saw a glimpse of the upcoming character Galleon).
It also appeared as a main game at EVO 2024 and is scheduled to return in 2025, crowning its success. On top of that, Granblue Fantasy Relink was also very well received, helping cement the relevance of the franchise (born from a mobile JRPG that officially released only in Japan, despite being playable in English) on the worldwide scene.
To hear more about the current state of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, its competitive ambitions, and its future, Simulation Daily interviewed the series’ creative Director, Tetsuya Fukuhara, who shared a lot of insight about the game.
And yes, I also asked him about the possible future of Granblue Fantasy Relink because I really loved the game, and I couldn’t help myself.
You can watch the full interview below, and if you enjoy it, please don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Perhaps even leave a comment. It always helps.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is currently available for PS5, PS4, and PC.
If you’d like to watch another interesting interview from the Arc World Tour tournament, you can enjoy one starring Guilty Gear Strive Producer Ken Miyauchi.