From One Dream to Tens of Millions: The 'Girls' Frontline' 10th Anniversary Carnival

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 wave of subculture games from China. 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 focused on light, casual experiences.

Building on this success, 'Girls' Frontline' has maintained its service for a decade while expanding its universe with titles like 'Reverse Collapse: Code Name Bakery'—a remake of a work created by the team during their 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 ten years.

We captured the scene of the carnival in photos, tracing the 10-year journey of 'Girls' Frontline' as it builds a massive universe from its humble indie beginnings.

▲ Doors open at 10:00 AM, but the queue has been stretching out since an hour and a half before

▲ Suddenly heard the sound of an RPK... 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 even 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

▲ First, time to look back at the history of Girls' Frontline before entering

▲ 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 subsequent sequels is neatly organized

▲ Cosplayers are stationed everywhere from the entrance, and the crowds for photos are endless

▲ Groza couldn't make it due to a schedule conflict, but I've believed in her since the 'Ulhwang' release

▲ After passing through the hallway greeted by key characters from Girls' Frontline, Neural Cloud, Reverse Collapse, and Girls' Frontline 2

▲ ...there's a message wall 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

▲ A photo zone for the 10th-anniversary carnival. Snapped a quick shot before the crowds swarmed in to take pictures with the cosplayers

▲ The demo zone features 'Reverse Collapse,' the origin and latest story of the Girls' Frontline universe, and

▲ ...the 'Frontline Breakthrough' mini-game, a Vampire Survivors-style game featured as a limited event in GFL2

▲ The Sunset Bar, where you can take a quiz on the main events of Girls' Frontline 2 with Tororo

▲ I never expected them to actually implement the 'Activity Layer,' which has become another core element of GFL2

▲ Merchandise exhibition zone with Cheetah

▲ ...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 once you've finished the events

▲ Surely there isn't a Commander who hasn't given out an Oath Ring, right?

▲ And next to that... William, you won't get away with just losing an arm next time

▲ Snapped a photo of Jiang Yu's martial arts training to take down William

▲ And the long-awaited merch shop already has a line snaking along the wall

▲ Moving back up for a close-up of the merch zone

▲ ...there's a display of collaboration products with a smartphone brand, and

▲ ...they say it's still under inspection, but wow, a Clukay swimsuit skin-themed keyboard? That's too strong

▲ Of course, they have the merch shop essentials like button badges, and

▲ ...Girls' Frontline all-stars and Jefuty are all here

▲ With limited-edition carnival-themed 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 gone now

▲ Anyway, Neural Cloud, which unraveled the stories and major narratives related to Mindmaps

▲ Based on the records woven stitch by stitch by Commanders and Professors

▲ ...we completed Oasis and even managed to rescue the Mindmaps

▲ The corner next to it seems to have been planned for ball games

▲ ...but it has now become the home ground for the 'National Sweetheart' K2

▲ On the main stage, a drawing quiz with cosplayers is in full swing. The answer? (ST AR-15)

▲ Anmi and DDAL, who are hot topics even in China. I didn't expect it to be this hard to get a decent shot because of the crowd just after a quick bathroom break

▲ After the stage greeting from Anmi & DDAL, the event concluded with a "Girls' Frontline is the Best" chant

▲ And straight to Part 2, moving on to the concert

▲ The venue is called 'Hong Arena' in English, giving it the atmosphere of an esports stadium

▲ Before the concert began, Producer Yuzhong appeared with the cosplayers who graced 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 was wrapping up, 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 resist this

▲ An introduction to the art followed, using Tororo as a sample

▲ A new title based on the 'Reverse Collapse' universe after Girls' Frontline, 'Reverse Collapse F,' was also revealed

▲ It's 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 all 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. [Read Original]