MICA Team's flagship title, 'Girls' Frontline,' celebrated its 10th anniversary this year with a grand carnival at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in China. Launched in May 2016, Girls' Frontline expanded to the Korean market a year later, sparking a massive craze and establishing itself as a leader in the 'big wave' of Chinese subculture games. With its high-quality illustrations, deep post-apocalyptic world-building, and surprisingly hardcore gameplay despite the use of SD characters, it left a lasting impact on a subculture gaming scene that was then largely defined by casual experiences.
Building on this success, 'Girls' Frontline' has maintained its service for a decade while expanding its universe through titles like 'Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery'—a remake of a work created during the team's indie days—as well as the sequel 'Girls' Frontline 2' and the spin-off 'Neural Cloud.' They also unveiled new projects to expand the IP for the next decade.
We captured the 10-year journey of 'Girls' Frontline'—a project that grew from a small indie effort into a sprawling universe—through photos from the carnival where fans gathered to celebrate.
▲ Doors open at 10:00 AM, but the queue has been forming for an hour and a half▲ Suddenly heard RPK sounds... a brave soul has appeared in more ways than one▲ A large panel for entry verification is a must▲ As someone who usually only visits Bilibili World, I didn't know there was an exhibition hall on the 4th floor▲ Even though they're only using a third of Halls 1 and 2, the scale and the crowd are immense▲ Time to look back at the history of Girls' Frontline before heading in▲ But first, I can't resist Florence. Grrr▲ After taking photos of the cosplayers, I got my passport for the stamp rally and Commander verification▲ From the formation of MICA Team in 2008 to the production of 'Bakery Girl▲ Everything from Girls' Frontline to its successors is neatly organized ▲ Cosplayers are stationed everywhere from the entrance, and the line for verification photos is endless▲ Groza had to step out for another schedule, but I've believed in her since the 'Ump' release▲ Passing through the hallway greeted by iconic characters from Girls' Frontline, Neural Cloud, Reverse Collapse, and Girls' Frontline 2▲ A message wall is set up for fans to write their 10th-anniversary wishes▲ It hasn't been long since doors opened, but the space is already filling up bit by bit▲ Next to it, in the Reverse Collapse corner, is the Luksatist slogan: "A blade to rewrite the world"... Ugh, my head▲ Once inside, start with the basics of being a Commander: pistol shooting▲ Snapped a quick shot at the 10th-anniversary photo zone before the crowds swarmed in▲ Various illustrations on display ▲ The demo zone features 'Reverse Collapse,' the origin and latest story of the series, and ▲ ...the 'Frontline Breakthrough' mini-game, a survivor-style game featured as a limited event in GFL2▲ The Sunset Bar, where Tororo hosts a quiz on the sequence of major events in Girls' Frontline 2▲ I never expected them to actually recreate the 'Activity Layer,' now a core element of GFL2▲ Merchandise exhibition zone with Cheetah▲ Figures are just the standard now▲ A Clukay-cat dakimakura? The cuteness is multiplied by a hundred▲ Plus the Mishuty combo—it's a sleep-inducing, overpowered set. It's a tragedy they aren't selling it▲ Anyway, don't forget to exchange your rewards after finishing the events▲ Surely there isn't a Commander who hasn't given out an Oath Ring at least once? ▲ And next to that... William, you won't get away with just losing an arm next time▲ Snapped a photo of Jefuty's martial arts training to take down William▲ And the long-awaited merch shop already has a line snaking along the wall▲ Heading back up for a close-up of the merch zone▲ Displays of collaboration products with smartphone brands▲ They say it's still under inspection, but a Clukay swimsuit skin-themed keyboard? That's too powerful▲ Of course, they have the merch shop essentials, like button badges▲ From the 'Befree' performance to the Girls' Frontline All-Stars and Jefuty, everyone is here▲ With limited-edition carnival merch, the trap to drain our wallets is complete▲ Went to see the swimsuit skin tactical dolls, but... Carter's faction is interfering▲ There was a brief commotion, but it's cleared up now▲ Neural Cloud, which unraveled the stories and major narratives regarding Mindmaps▲ Based on the records woven stitch by stitch by Commanders and Professors alike▲ We completed Oasis and even managed the Mindmap rescue▲ Now, it's time to go save Jefuty▲ The corner next to it seems to have been planned for a ball game event▲ But now it's become the home ground for the 'Soldier's Sweetheart,' K2 ▲ On the main stage, a drawing quiz with cosplayers is in full swing. The answer? (ST AR-15)▲ Anmi and DDAL are the talk of the town in China; I didn't expect it to be this hard to get a photo due to the crowds while I was away for a bathroom break▲ After the stage greeting from Anmi & DDAL, the event concluded with a "Girls' Frontline is the Best" chant▲ Moving straight to Part 2: the concert▲ It's called the 'Hong Arena' in English, giving the concert venue an esports stadium vibe▲ Before the concert began, Producer Yuzhong appeared with the cosplayers who lit up the carnival▲ Shout it out: Yuzhong! Yuzhong! Yuzhong! Yuzhong! Yuzhong!▲ Following that, a performance of the OST, newly arranged by Vanguard Sound and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, continued▲ As the concert neared its end, Producer Yuzhong returned to the stage▲ He unveiled a surprise new title: 'Girls' Frontline: Contract of the Blue Butterfly'▲ A 4-player co-op TPS where you control tactical dolls directly? Grrr, I can't wait for this▲ An introduction to the art followed, using Tororo as a sample▲ But that's not all?▲ A new title based on the 'Reverse Collapse' universe, 'Reverse Collapse F,' was also revealed▲ A game combining 4-player co-op TPS with TRPG-style narrative, scheduled for release in 2028▲ Concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony and a Happy 10th Anniversary song▲ Even after the cosplayers and the orchestra left, Producer Yuzhong stayed behind, visibly moved, to thank the users▲ The 10th-anniversary carnival has come to an end, but the next 10 years of the Girls' Frontline IP are just beginning
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of NC AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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