{"id":68487,"date":"2026-06-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=68487"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:12:37","slug":"granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-evolved-by-breaking-what-needed-to-be-broken-in-relink-we-talk-to-the-developers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/granblue-fantasy-relink-endless-ragnarok-evolved-by-breaking-what-needed-to-be-broken-in-relink-we-talk-to-the-developers\/","title":{"rendered":"Granblue\u00a0Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok evolved by \u201cbreaking what needed to be broken in Relink.\u201d We talk to the developers\u00a0about\u00a0the massive expansion\u2019s\u00a0new\u00a0features and\u00a0added\u00a0silliness\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ahead of the release of Granblue Fantasy: Relink \u2013 Endless Ragnarok<\/strong> (hereafter Endless Ragnarok), developer Cygames held a joint media interview in Japan, during which AUTOMATON had the opportunity to speak with creative director Tetsuya Fukuhara and director Sanshiro Hidaka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granblue Fantasy: Relink itself is an action RPG spin-off to the original Granblue Fantasy<\/strong>, Cygames\u2019s browser-based RPG released in March 2014 and now entering its 13th year of service. Throughout the years, the franchise has expanded well beyond the original game, including the 2020 fighting game spin-off Granblue Fantasy Versus as well as anime, manga, and other media mix adaptations. Since its launch, Relink has earned recognition for its diverse characters and action, progression mechanics inherited from the original game, and co-op multiplayer battles, eventually surpassing two million copies sold worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upcoming Endless Ragnarok will be a major expansion to Relink. We asked Fukuhara and Hidaka about the project\u2019s development and what players can expect when it comes to new features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sticking to a \u201cclassic fantasy JRPG,\u201d but with surprises in store <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Looking back at players\u2019 reactions to Relink, what stood out to you the most?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tetsuya Fukuhara\u00a0(hereafter Fukuhara):<\/strong>\u00a0
The comment\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0heard\u00a0repeatedly is, \u201cEvery character feels different to play.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We placed strong emphasis on the game\u2019s large roster even before launch, but it was very gratifying to hear players say they were surprised by how distinct each character\u2019s gameplay actually was. Therefore, we\u2019ve put a great deal of effort into preserving \u201cdifferent flavors\u201d of gameplay for this new release as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanshiro Hidaka\u00a0(hereafter Hidaka):<\/strong>\u00a0
People\u2019s responses\u00a0to the story also left a strong impression\u00a0on me.\u00a0In Relink,\u00a0you\u00a0reach what appears to be the ending of the main story\u00a0thinking you got your\u00a0\u201chappily ever after,\u201d only to discover that the story actually continues and leads into another finale where everyone bands together to save an\u00a0important\u00a0character.\u00a0Watching streams and\u00a0other reactions, it was fun to see people\u00a0who were moved by the first ending\u00a0all\u00a0surprised\u00a0and overjoyed\u00a0when they found out\u00a0there\u00a0was\u00a0more.\u00a0I was\u00a0pleased to see the\u00a0story structure received\u00a0so\u00a0positively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
We also heard a lot of\u00a0people say, \u201cThis is exactly what a JRPG should be\u00a0like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granblue Fantasy is fundamentally a \u201cclassic\u201d fantasy series, so we intended for Relink to follow that orthodox path without any unnecessary twists. I got the sense that approach resonated exactly with what RPG and Granblue fans were looking for, so those kinds of responses left a strong impression on me too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Can we expect that same classic feel in Endless Ragnarok?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do see ourselves continuing to pursue the classic path. At the same time, because the story in Relink wrapped up so cleanly, we were very conscious of avoiding a continuation that felt redundant. We wanted this \u201cnew development\u201d to feel both surprising and plausible to players. Specifically, the new characters Fraux and Fediel, who are deeply intertwined in the story, are central to that effort. They both have unusual backgrounds, and in Fediel\u2019s case, Endless Ragnarok will reveal details that haven\u2019t even been disclosed in the mobile version of Granblue Fantasy. Because of that, we think longtime fans and complete newcomers alike will be able to experience the same sense of surprise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Did you receive requests for specific characters from the original Granblue Fantasy to become playable?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
The\u00a0most requested\u00a0by far was\u00a0Maglielle.\u00a0Gallanza\u00a0and Maglielle debuted in Relink and became incredibly popular, and we constantly heard people saying they wanted to play as\u00a0both of them, so their inclusion was decided\u00a0very early\u00a0in development.\u00a0When it comes to choosing playable characters, given the sheer number of\u00a0possibilities, the requests from users are incredibly diverse. However, we make our decisions based on a comprehensive evaluation that\u00a0takes into account\u00a0factors such as \u201cWill this make the game better?\u201d and \u201cIs this a character people would be happy to see join Relink?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Rolan, another character I presume is highly requested,\u00a0appears this time as a summon rather than a playable character. Was that a difficult decision?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
There were definitely people on the team who wanted him to be playable.\u00a0However, based on\u00a0our\u00a0development schedule, we estimated we could realistically create around six entirely new playable characters. When deciding how to\u00a0allocate\u00a0those slots, making Rolan fit into the overall balance of Endless Ragnarok proved\u00a0somewhat difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who has played Relink will know that Rolan is a rather special character, so simply adapting him into a standard playable character as-is would not have worked out so well. That was something I explained to the team as well. However, once we came up with the summon system later on, we realized it would let players control Rolan and let him shine in a way that suited his character, so we decided to bring him in that way instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
From an action design perspective, Relink aims to express each character\u2019s appeal through gameplay.\u00a0But\u00a0with characters like Rolan, whose defining traits are so\u00a0powerful\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0essentially a\u00a0\u201cwild card,\u201d\u00a0translating them directly into gameplay risks making\u00a0them stick out too much.\u00a0On the other hand, if\u00a0we toned\u00a0him down to match everyone else,\u00a0he would\u00a0lose what makes him special.\u00a0Having him appear briefly as a summon strikes a nice balance and lets players experience his unique\u00a0flair in just the right amount.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The new summon system lets you summon a lot more than you\u2019re probably expecting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2014What was the thinking behind the new summon system?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
The first thing we\u00a0established\u00a0was what we wanted to\u00a0accomplish\u00a0with this title.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Relink\u2019s greatest strengths was that every character had their own unique action design, to the point where switching characters almost felt like playing a different action game. Even though we wanted to release this new title relatively quickly, we still wanted players to experience as many uniquely designed characters as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, we explored the idea of simply adding more playable characters, but there were obvious limits to that approach. Then, we thought, why not make it so that players could call characters in briefly as summons instead? With a summoning system, to put it extremely, you could even summon the Receptionist or a Wee Pincer. We utilized that high degree of freedom to incorporate various characters into the action design. I think the greatest appeal of the system is simply that it lets players enjoy a huge variety of characters and actions. As something that adds flavor to the combat, it ended up being quite a luxurious feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Because Relink was built around a commitment to classic fantasy storytelling, the overall tone ended up being fairly serious.\u00a0That was intentional, and\u00a0I think it\u00a0worked.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But looking back, we also felt that Granblue Fantasy should be allowed to be a little sillier. This time around, we decided it was to lean into that playful side of the series, so now you can summon things like the receptionist, random NPC villagers, goblins, and completely straight-faced mystic beasts \u2013 characters that make you wonder, \u201cHow is this thing even supposed to fight?\u201d The staff had a great time creating them, and I think we ended up with a mix of deliberately ridiculous summons and genuinely cool ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Was the summon system originally planned for Relink? It feels so natural that it wouldn\u2019t have been surprising if it had been there from the beginning.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Actually,\u00a0very early\u00a0in development,\u00a0we did consider including the original\u00a0Granblue\u00a0Fantasy\u00a0systems like\u00a0charge attacks (Skybound\u00a0Arts),\u00a0chain\u00a0bursts,\u00a0skills, and summons.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As development progressed, though, we decided the protagonist and Lyria would spend a long chunk of the story apart, which made implementing summons much more difficult. There were also technical concerns, so ultimately the feature was cut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that players could control Proto Bahamut in Relink, along with certain summon-like presentation elements, are remnants of those earlier ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
Back then, the project itself was also much closer to a traditional RPG before\u00a0we\u00a0fully\u00a0committed to action, so summons existed in a\u00a0somewhat\u00a0different\u00a0context.\u00a0When we later decided\u00a0to go down a more playful route,\u00a0we remembered that\u00a0summons\u00a0already existed as items in the universe. That ended up being the perfect outlet for all those more outrageous ideas, which is how the summon system made its return.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Can you give some examples of the sillier summons? And do either of you have a personal favorite or one you’d especially like players to play around with?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
There are quite a few, but well… Albacore is in there.\u00a0Also,\u00a0sorry to disappoint\u00a0everyone, but\u00a0Oira\u00a0(Big Bad Shadow)\u00a0isn’t\u00a0(laughs).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also remember being the one who suggested adding the roulette wheel summon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
Personally,\u00a0I’m\u00a0fond of\u00a0Nazarbonju. Summons with freezing abilities\u00a0are\u00a0extremely useful in practice, and when your teammates thank you with comments like, \u201cNice freeze!\u201d\u00a0it\u00a0really makes you feel like\u00a0you’re\u00a0contributing.\u00a0I also just think its little tail\u00a0is adorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
The\u00a0Wee Pincer\u00a0summon is another favorite. The number of hits it delivers increases based on how many\u00a0you’ve\u00a0collected, so\u00a0it’s\u00a0designed to reward players who put in the effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking what needed to be broken <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\u2014What were your biggest priorities when translating Granblue Fantasy\u2019s characters into 3D models? After continuing development from Relink into Endless Ragnarok, have you discovered anything new?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Granblue\u00a0Fantasy\u00a0is an IP where the characters themselves are incredibly popular, and we know fans hold its illustrations, 2D artwork, and character designs in\u00a0very high\u00a0regard.\u00a0Because of that, our primary goal with Relink was to faithfully recreate the appeal of those 2D designs in 3D. The characters were\u00a0not\u00a0originally designed with 3D models in mind, so there were naturally\u00a0some\u00a0elements that\u00a0didn’t\u00a0translate perfectly. We\u00a0made adjustments\u00a0where necessary while ensuring fans\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0feel any\u00a0disconnect. I think\u00a0models, including the\u00a0environments,\u00a0were\u00a0the area we devoted the most effort to.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
Character\u00a0depiction\u00a0\u2013\u00a0particularly the 3D models and animations\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is directly tied to how the action feels\u00a0in a game.\u00a0For\u00a0Relink, I personally attended every motion capture session, constantly thinking about whether each character’s individuality came through properly, both in cinematic story scenes and combat animations. But because we were\u00a0building everything from scratch, we first had to\u00a0establish\u00a0standard frameworks like idle and walking animations, then fit each character into those systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new characters still inherit those basic motion sets since they’re in the same game, but we deliberately broke some of the existing frameworks. We wanted to push things further and let each character deviate from the norm in ways that better reflected who they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallanza’s dodge animation is probably the best example. Dodging in Relink generally involves a rolling motion, but if Gallanza dodged that way, he’d end up looking too light. He’s a heavy and sturdy character, so we felt, “There’s no way he’d roll so gracefully.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So instead, we had his dodge adjusted into something heavier and a little clunkier. That created an atmosphere where it felt acceptable to “break the mold,” and after that, the team kept coming up with more ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Endless Ragnarok is releasing two years after Relink, so there would be no point if it simply stayed at the same quality level. From the beginning of development, I kept telling the team that we should\u00a0\u201cbreak anything that needed breaking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
We were a little worried that making the new characters more extravagant would\u00a0overshadow the existing\u00a0roster, but we addressed that with\u00a0the new Master Trait system.\u00a0Thanks to\u00a0that,\u00a0even players who have\u00a0already\u00a0spent\u00a0a lot of time in\u00a0Relink will\u00a0get to see unexpected new actions from familiar characters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Late in development, the team suddenly decided to go back and polish even the older visual effects, even down to the smallest details.\u00a0So\u00a0I think the overall quality of every character’s\u00a0effects\u00a0is now much more consistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
As\u00a0the\u00a0master\u00a0build\u00a0date\u00a0got\u00a0closer, everyone started\u00a0tweaking things on their own. (laughs)\u00a0I’d\u00a0be happy if players\u00a0noticed\u00a0some of those subtle changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Beelzebub is\u00a0featured\u00a0quite prominently\u00a0in the key visual. Within what\u00a0you’re\u00a0able to discuss, what kind of role will he play this time? More broadly, what position does he occupy within the\u00a0Granblue\u00a0Fantasy\u00a0universe?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
Ever since Beelzebub first appeared in\u00a0Granblue\u00a0Fantasy Versus and the original game,\u00a0he’s\u00a0consistently\u00a0maintained\u00a0the\u00a0philosophy\u00a0of\u00a0\u201cruling over all things through overwhelming power\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0the belief\u00a0that strength itself is beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Endless Ragnarok, I think he’ll play exactly the kind of role that will make people go \u201cNow that\u2019s Beelzebub!\u201d He’s a completely unwavering character, so I think his fans will have a lot to look forward to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014You\u2019ve\u00a0mentioned placing a greater emphasis on assist controls\u00a0this time. Could you explain the reasoning behind that?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
In Relink,\u00a0assist\u00a0controls became unavailable in the latter part of the game,\u00a0specifically on the final Maniac and Proud difficulty settings.\u00a0Our thinking was that if players had\u00a0relied on assist controls up to that point, they might feel motivated to\u00a0take on\u00a0the rest without them. However,\u00a0actual\u00a0data showed that many players who struggled with action games\u00a0\u2013\u00a0or who had been playing specifically because full assist was available\u00a0\u2013\u00a0simply stopped playing once\u00a0assist\u00a0controls were disabled.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, they never even reached the Proto Bahamut battle that serves as the gateway into Endless Ragnarok, meaning they wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy this expansion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, we concluded it would be better to simply let players use full assist all the way through the ending. Restricting how far assist controls could be used was a matter of the \u201cdevelopers\u2019 ego\u201d in the first place, so we decided to eliminate that and ensure that both action veterans and newcomers to the genre could finish the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To clarify, assist controls will remain available all the way through Endless Ragnarok’s ending. They are only disabled in what you could call the “endgame within the endgame” that comes afterward. In terms of the game’s overall content, that’s only around the final 1%, meaning nearly everything can be completed using assists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014The game now supports crossplay. Since Nintendo Switch 2 players may be starting fresh while PlayStation 5 users could be carrying over experience from the previous game, are there systems in place to help bridge that gap?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
It’s\u00a0not\u00a0direct cooperation, but\u00a0we’ve\u00a0introduced\u00a0a new\u00a0support\u00a0character system\u00a0which lets players register characters\u00a0they’ve\u00a0raised, allowing others to borrow them and add them to their own parties. The borrowed character joins as an\u00a0NPC, but\u00a0effectively fills one party slot with someone else’s fully developed character.\u00a0This support system works\u00a0offline\u00a0too.\u00a0Friends will be able to request specific characters from one another, but you can also browse a list of online players and instantly\u00a0borrow from\u00a0them, so even people who mostly play solo can take advantage of the feature.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Could you explain why you decided to add the new singleplayer-only mode, The Conflux?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
As you progress through Relink, multiplayer inevitably becomes the most efficient way to farm\u00a0resources for character progression.\u00a0While multiplayer is one of the game’s major strengths, there are also players who\u00a0aren’t\u00a0particularly\u00a0comfortable with\u00a0it. So,\u00a0we created a different kind of activity where, although it requires a\u00a0somewhat longer\u00a0uninterrupted play session, a single run rewards players with a large batch of enhancement materials\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including\u00a0those needed for\u00a0weapon\u00a0awakening \u2013\u00a0even in solo play.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you clear areas in this mode, you stack special buffs that grant unique abilities. That’s the sort of mechanic that’s difficult to realize in multiplayer, so the concept began with the idea of combining <\/em>Relink’s battle system with roguelite elements to create a new kind of experience. It also lets players strengthen their characters entirely through solo play if they grow tired of multiplayer, while providing substantial rewards. For newcomers, it also serves as a way to obtain powerful equipment and catch up more quickly to the Proto Bahamut battle or the later stages of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014At what point in the game does this mode become available, and how long does a full run generally take?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
We’ll\u00a0share more detailed information later, but Level 1 unlocks\u00a0very early,\u00a0around the time you first arrive at\u00a0Seedhollow\u00a0in Relink.\u00a0Level 3 becomes available\u00a0immediately\u00a0after reaching Maniac difficulty,\u00a0essentially right\u00a0after the second ending. Clearing it provides equipment that makes tackling Maniac and Proud significantly easier, allowing players to move into Endless Ragnarok much more smoothly.\u00a0Levels 4 and 5 unlock from Chaos difficulty onward.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for run length, your first clear at the recommended power level should take roughly 15 to 20 minutes, or around 25 minutes at most. As your party grows stronger through repeated plays, you’ll naturally become able to complete the same level more quickly over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Finally, do you have a message for fans looking forward to the game?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidaka:<\/strong>\u00a0
Relink launched in February 2024, and\u00a0we’ve\u00a0spent\u00a0roughly the\u00a0past two years planning and developing\u00a0Endless Ragnarok.\u00a0Even\u00a0while\u00a0we were releasing the three updates for\u00a0Relink, players continuously shared their feedback with us.\u00a0Around the Version 1.3 update in particular, we received an overwhelming number of messages saying, “I love this game so much, please don\u2019t let it\u00a0end.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after that, up until the time we got to announce Endless Ragnarok, fans of the original game kept voicing their support. Knowing how much anticipation existed made us feel we couldn’t release anything half-baked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we finally revealed Endless Ragnarok, we were met with countless comments saying, “We’ve been waiting for this.” At that moment, it felt like those two years of development had truly paid off. There are still many things we haven’t shown yet, and action games are ultimately something you need to experience firsthand. Once it’s released, we hope people will play it themselves and share their impressions with us, that would be an incredible encouragement. We’re now in the final stretch before launch, so please look forward to it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fukuhara:<\/strong>\u00a0
To be honest, the response to Relink after launch exceeded\u00a0my\u00a0expectations many times over.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of our development plans, we struggled with the fact that simple updates alone couldn’t fully satisfy players who were asking for more. That’s why I’m genuinely grateful we were able to make Endless Ragnarok happen. Fans continued sending us requests, and we felt we had to deliver it as quickly as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original Relink took around eight years from announcement to release, but thanks to everything we built during its development, we’ve been able to bring Endless Ragnarok to players in roughly two years. Being able to release it on Nintendo Switch 2 also boosted the team’s motivation and helped drive development forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game includes enough new content that we feel comfortable calling it a massive expansion. I believe it will satisfy everyone who wished they could spend more time with Relink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We still have more information to reveal before launch, so I hope you’ll continue looking forward to it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Thank you for your time!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok<\/a> is scheduled to launch on July 9 for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch 2 and PS4\/PS5. For owners of the original Granblue Fantasy: Relink, an upgrade kit<\/a> will be available for purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Interviewer, writer: Mizuki Kashiwagi]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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