An anime adaptation of Wuthering Waves, a popular gacha action-RPG from Kuro Games, has just been announced. It’s the first project under the new Kuro Onroad banner, which the developer will use for its animation efforts going forward.
The announcement trailer for the anime confirms that it is titled Wuthering Waves: Elysium. Otherwise, information about this project is pretty scarce, with the trailer simply showing that it’ll feature 3D animation and characters from the game.
Kuro Onroad describes the show as “based on the world of Wuthering Waves.” As such, it’s unclear whether it’ll be a reinterpretation of characters we already know or if it will fit snugly into the game’s pre-existing narrative and lore.
We also don’t know whether Kuro Onroad is partnering with another studio on the animation or producing it internally. Regardless, the press release made clear that Kuro Games hopes the project “expands the Wuthering Waves universe beyond the game and offers fans another way to experience its characters, stories, and world through animation.”
The Chinese game developer seems committed to animation over the long term as well, as it created the Kuro Onroad brand and didn’t just license the IP. Wuthering Waves: Elysium is part of a boom of video-game-to-anime adaptations, as FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is getting an anime movie in September, while Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is receiving the series treatment.
As for more direct competition, Wuthering Waves gacha RPG rival Genshin Impact has an anime in the works at Ufotable, though we haven’t received many updates about the anime since its 2022 announcement. It’s unknown which will arrive first, as Wuthering Waves: Elysium does not currently have a release date.