Attack on Titan coming Dead by Daylight and other anime tie-ins, explained

These new materials make Eren Yeager look a bit odd.

That’s because it’s not really him. It’s another character, in Yeager’s outfit, part of a collaboration between Attack on Titanthe multiplayer horror game Daylight makes you dead. Yeager and his fellow friends aren’t the only people who have anime-related content that is available in American video games.

Tuesday, FortniteAn updated Anime Legends pack was released, bringing a range of skins to this game. Apex LegendsAn anime-esque Gaiden Events is planned. The announcements of all three were made in the same day. It’s part of a larger trend in which western video game makers are leaning hard into their fans’ interest in anime.

Each of the three live-service gaming services will add anime-inspired content this summer. Daylight makes you deadBehaviour Interactive has reimagined its characters. Attack on Titan’s most popular roles. Apex Legends’ Gaiden Event will bring more than 40 new cosmetic items to the game — four of them clearly inspired by popular anime series like One Piece, Naruto, My Hero AcademiaAnd Neon Genesis Evangelion. In Fortnite, Epic Games is going as far as to give the game’s Anime Legends Pack a physical release at select retailers, alongside generic anime-inspired skins.

It’s far from the first time a popular Western multiplayer game has seen anime tie-ins or anime-inspired events. Another big brand is, PUBG MobileRecently, collaborated with Neon Genesis Evangelion to bring that series’ characters — including its iconic mechs — to the battle royale. Heck, you could even bring your entire series’ characters to the battle royale. FortniteHave a lot of Naruto characters last month.

Notable is the announcement of three multiplayer games, which signals that developers are aware and are observing consumer preferences.

Why is there so much anime tie-ins

Manga and anime have played an important role in shaping Western tastes. (Remember Cartoon Network’s Toonami in the late ’90s and early 2000s?) However, around the time of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic, interest in anime soared once again. The quarantine period saw manga paperback sales explode, as well as movies featuring anime films like Demon SlayerThe movie was an instant hit. The anime fandom thrived on social media. TikTok and other anime-inspired content were a regular part of popular trends starting in 2020.

Most recent Apex LegendsAnnouncement also taps into another trend in the making: VTubers. This is part of Apex Legends’ lates event, developers said three heroes would become available as VTuber avatars, so streamers can embody their favorite characters as their anime incarnations. That’s a meaningful acknowledgment from Respawn Entertainment, as VTubers like Ironmouse smash Twitch records and the general fandom around them grows worldwide.