'Granblue Fantasy: Relink' was released on February 1, 2024. The journey this game took to reach its launch was far from smooth.

Relink is the first console package game Cygames has developed using its own IP. It began in collaboration with PlatinumGames, a studio specializing in action games. However, the contract with PlatinumGames was terminated during development, leaving Cygames to handle the project alone. Following these development hurdles, the original 2018 release target was delayed multiple times, and the game finally saw the light of day in 2024.

Despite the many twists and turns, Relink was well-received upon its official release for its high level of polish and flashy action. But that joy was short-lived; in a showcase held in April 2024, the developers announced that version 1.3.0 would be the final update, leaving many fans disappointed. It seemed as though the story of Relink had come to an end just two months after its official launch.

However, the atmosphere shifted completely on February 5th when a surprise announcement during a Nintendo Direct revealed the major DLC, 'Endless Ragnarok.' It was the moment the Sky Realm, which everyone thought had closed, opened once again. Following the announcement, fan anticipation for Endless Ragnarok heated up rapidly. Through CBT and OBT phases, the team gauged reactions to new systems and cross-play, and the countdown to launch began in earnest with the world's first offline demo at PlayX4. For fans who thought Relink was over, Endless Ragnarok was truly an unexpected gift.

Before the excitement had even faded, we visited Cygames headquarters in Japan to meet with Tetsuya Fukuhara, the creative director overseeing the Granblue Fantasy IP, and Sanshiro Hidaka, the director of Granblue Fantasy: Relink. We spoke with them directly to hear the story behind 'Endless Ragnarok,' a project they have been working on throughout the long journey of Relink.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink, A Story Reborn

How long was the development period for Endless Ragnarok? And were there any player reactions that left a lasting impression on you?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Development began after the release of the original Relink, so it took exactly about two years.

Among player reactions, there were many requests to make Maglahrila a playable character. As she was a character who first appeared in Relink, I was half-doubting how popular she would become, so I was both happy and surprised to see a reaction that far exceeded my expectations. Even though she appeared as an enemy, there were many voices saying, "Forget that, just let us play as her."

Sanshiro Hidaka = I was very happy to feel that players were genuinely empathizing with new characters introduced in Relink, such as Io, who is deeply involved in the story, and Rolan, who watches over the protagonist.

I thought things were going well there, but I was honestly surprised to see an outpouring of reactions for Lilith—a character we created to be the most hated—saying, "I really like Lilith, please make her playable." I thought it was very fortunate that any character could be loved.

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Because Granblue Fantasy has such a long history, I was worried that if completely new characters appeared, there would be voices asking for "popular characters from the existing mobile game." However, thanks to both Rolan and Lilith receiving such positive reactions, I think it had a positive impact on the IP as a whole.

I am curious why Fraux was chosen as a new character.

Tetsuya Fukuhara = If we looked purely at popularity, characters like Nier or Lobelia among the Evokers could have been candidates. However, considering comprehensive factors such as in-game elemental balance, harmony with other characters, and whether they could be properly implemented into the game system, we judged that Fraux was the most suitable.

The fact that new characters like Fraux and Fediel have unique backgrounds made them easy to weave into the story, and another reason for the choice was that we intentionally wanted to include characters who had not appeared in 'Granblue Fantasy: Versus.'

Is there anything you remember from the development of the Switch 2 version?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = We formed a dedicated team to work on it, and what was impressive was that we were able to produce results with high graphical fidelity from a fairly early stage. We then proceeded with optimization, and the internal test play reactions regarding frame rate and hardware performance were excellent. I thought it was truly wonderful hardware.

Sanshiro Hidaka = The part we paid the most attention to during development was ensuring that the controls felt consistent whether playing in TV mode or handheld mode, even when switching quickly between them. As an action game, we focused heavily on this aspect.

In the previous game, there were several restrictions due to the damage cap condition. Are there any changes in this installment?

Sanshiro Hidaka = Rather than focusing on the damage cap value itself, we improved the calculation formulas for enhancement elements like buffs and debuffs during battle so they can be effectively utilized with any ability. Since damage-related stats are powerful enhancement elements in the game, new damage-related skills have been added to this installment as well.

However, in the previous game, it was difficult for players to know how to increase the damage cap. So this time, we improved the delivery of information through tutorials and side quests to make it easier to understand how to increase the damage cap.

There were definitely opinions that the process of increasing the damage cap was difficult. However, many felt that it wasn't the damage cap system itself that was hard, but the repetitive process of strengthening it. So, we improved the enhancement cycle in this installment, allowing you to enjoy strengthening your damage cap without feeling burdened.

Are new 'Sigils' being added in this update? And are there any conditions for acquiring them?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = New Sigils are being added in Endless Ragnarok, and there are quite a few types. In the previous game, very powerful Sigils like Supplementary Damage or Glass Cannon could only be obtained with low probability, but we have adjusted those parts to be significantly easier to obtain. However, we are being careful not to create new "essential but too difficult to obtain" Sigils.

Sanshiro Hidaka = Along with Sigil farming, the growth process itself was quite difficult, but as mentioned earlier, you can now obtain large quantities of materials at once in the 'Extreme Forge,' making strengthening much faster.

In this game, thanks to the relatively easier Sigil farming, I think it has become much easier to actively use the Sigil fusion function to create the combinations you want. Overall, while the character enhancement elements themselves have increased, the structure is such that rather than the strengthening itself being difficult, the depth of build construction—deciding how to combine Sigils and weave them with Master Skills after you have sufficiently strengthened—is what deepens.

Please explain the newly introduced roguelike mode, 'Extreme Forge.'

Sanshiro Hidaka = The Extreme Forge consists of 5 floors, and within each floor, there are multiple stages; the composition of monsters and areas changes every time.

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Each floor has unique enemies that can only be encountered there, and there are various variations in the battles themselves. When combined with the unique abilities you can obtain within the Extreme Forge, you can enjoy it in a different way than regular quests. The early floors have low difficulty, but it increases as you go to the later ones, so it is a structure that you can continue to challenge throughout the game.

I am also curious about the development background of the 'Extreme Forge.' Was it influenced by the original game's content, 'Arcarum: The World Beyond'?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Relink has a structure where you repeat quests or multiplayer in the late game, but this time, we prepared a dedicated mode that combines roguelike elements—which are difficult to implement in multiplayer—exclusively for single-player, allowing players to enjoy a different kind of fun.

There was no direct reference for the roguelike mode, but we planned it with the thought that it would be fun to combine the roguelike play seen in recent games like 'Honkai: Star Rail' or 'Wuthering Waves' with Relink's battles.

Are the Summon Stones used in the newly introduced 'Summon' system obtained after defeating the corresponding boss?

Sanshiro Hidaka = Basically, you can obtain them by clearing quests, and they are often related to the opponent you fight in that quest. Besides that, there are various ways to obtain Summon Stones, such as rewards from side quests you can receive from villagers. There are villagers in town who are having trouble, and if you help them, you can build a bond and obtain a Summon Stone to summon that villager.

There are differences in strength between Summon Stones; how are you balancing them?

Sanshiro Hidaka = There are indeed differences in strength among Summon Stones. The easiest distinction is the cost; each Summon Stone has a different gauge consumption, and basically, the higher the gauge consumption, the stronger it is. However, even if there are differences in strength, they all have a character similar to a 'bomb' (special explosive), so even a cost-1 stone is quite strong. Cost-1 stones are easy to use or strong in specific situations, while higher-cost stones are closer to being strong and versatile regardless of the situation, so their characteristics are slightly different.

You bring 4 Summon Stones into battle, and when you use one, the cost required to use other Summon Stones decreases by 1. If you bring all four as cost-3, you won't be able to use any until the gauge fills to 3 from the start, but if you mix in cost-1 or cost-2 stones first, you can use summons from the beginning, and using them will also reduce the cost of the others, eventually allowing you to bring out the cost-3 ones quickly. Therefore, the strength of each individual Summon Stone is important, but which four you combine and bring with you greatly affects your overall combat power.

Can new bosses like The World or Beelzebub also be used as Summon Stones?

Sanshiro Hidaka = We tried to make as many of the boss characters that appear in the game into Summon Stones as possible, although some are missing. Basically, we made sure that most of the bosses added this time are connected to the summon system in some form.

Tetsuya Fukuhara = We couldn't cover every boss as a Summon Stone. However, among those we haven't revealed yet, there are some that will make you happy, thinking, "This character is a Summon Stone!" Most of those Summon Stones are incredibly strong, so I think they will be very fun to use.

Because the number of uses for summons is limited by the battle system, it is impossible to fight using only summons. However, depending on the order in which you use summons, the cost consumed changes, or the conditions for use may change due to the influence of Master Skills, so there are more diverse strategic options prepared than just using them in order. Please think of it as feeling like a special bomb in a bullet-hell shooter game.

Currently, costume changes are not possible in Relink, only color variations. Are there any plans to add new costumes like the swimsuits from 'Granblue Fantasy: Versus'?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Costume changes are one of the systems I really want to implement, as there are many requests for it. I personally really want to include the swimsuits from 'Granblue Fantasy: Versus' that you mentioned. Specific details are currently under review, so it's difficult to say right now, but I will try as hard as I can.

Are there any plans for future content updates?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = We are currently reviewing whether to continue updates after release in some form. It's difficult to say anything specific right now, but since we have received many voices from users saying, "I want to keep playing," I hope we can deliver good news in the future.

Is there any part of Endless Ragnarok that connects to the original game? Or is it planned to be connected in the future?

Tetsuya Fukuhara = We intend to ensure that you don't have difficulty understanding the original story if you don't play Endless Ragnarok. We are not considering elements that connect directly.

However, in Endless Ragnarok, there is a scene where Fraux and Fediel meet for the first time in Zegagrande, and I hope you enjoy how that meeting differs from the original. Conversely, we have been quite careful since the previous Relink to ensure that it is not difficult to understand even if you haven't played the original. I hope you enjoy the commonalities and differences of each.

Lastly, please say a word to the fans who have been waiting for 'Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok.'

Sanshiro Hidaka = The previous Relink was released in February 2024. And for this work, Endless Ragnarok, we released information for the first time in February 2026 of this year.

For the two years since the release of Relink, the voices from users saying they love this game, how they are enjoying it, and that they would wait forever if we kept making it, never ceased. It was a truly happy and grateful thing, but when we announced Endless Ragnarok for the first time in February of this year, I was honestly a little anxious about whether we could live up to the expectations.

However, when I heard users who saw Endless Ragnarok for the first time say, "This is it," "This is what I was waiting for," and "My fantasy," I was filled with the feeling that our two years of effort had been rewarded. We have released various information since then, but there are still things we are hiding, so I hope everyone plays it themselves and feels, "They really prepared well." We are working hard to be able to deliver good news even after the release. Please look forward to it.

Tetsuya Fukuhara = Relink was not originally a title intended for continuous service. I received so many voices after the release saying, "Please keep updating it," and for me, not being able to respond to that was a huge conflict.

However, thanks to the support sent after the release and the company's backing, we were able to deliver a large-scale expansion pack called Endless Ragnarok to you all again. I am truly happy and grateful. It was exactly two years of development since the release, but as we poured all our capabilities into it, I am confident that it has reached a level of completion that meets your expectations.

I think Endless Ragnarok is a big leap for the Granblue Fantasy IP and for Cygames as well. We will continue to work hard in the future. Thank you for your support.