Cygames’ hit horse racing game Umamusume: Pretty Derby recently got a much-awaited English-language version. Since its release on June 26, the game has earned an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam, with 95% out of 7,661 reviews being positive. While Umamusume is still fresh in the West, it’s been around in Japan since 2021, and the Japanese community has come to follows some rules about the game that newcomers may not be familiar with – especially when it comes to creating fanart.
Given that Umamusume: Pretty Derby features anthropomorphized versions of famous, real-life racehorses, the game’s existence strongly depends on Cygames’ relationship with the horses’ owners and related parties like the JRA (Japan Racing Association). In order to protect these relationships, Cygames has established guidelines regarding fanart and other derivative works based on Umamusume: Pretty Derby. These guidelines were created in consultation with relevant third parties and are meant to ensure the race horses’ reputations are not damaged (which would, by effect, cause Cygames handling of the horses to be brought into question by rightsholders).
Specifically, fans are requested to refrain from creating anything violent, grotesque or sexually explicit; anything that endorses or disparages specific political, religious or ideological beliefs; and anything depicting antisocial behavior. Although Cygames has on occasions had to remind players to abide by the rules, the guideline is generally accepted by Japanese fans, especially because of the unique way Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s future depends on the fandom behaving.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is out now for PC (Steam), iOS and Android.
