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Chinese KanColle Ripoff Game Launches in Japan

posted on by Jennifer Sherman

Chinese game developer Moe Fantasy launched the Senkan Shōjo R (Battleship Girl R) smartphone game for iOS and Android devices in Japan on October 24. Even before the launch, Japanese net users were quick to notice something familiar about the game.

The smartphone app is an apparent ripoff of Kadokawa Games' Kantai Collection (Kan Colle) browser game. In the new game's story, warships from various countries are anthropomorphized as beautiful girls. Fierce battles have been taking place for more than half a century, and its up to the girls to lead their naval fleets toward victory.

Kadokawa Games launched the original Kantai Collection free-to-play browser game with the service provider DMM.com in April 2013. Kantai Collection Kai, a PlayStation Vita port of the game directed by the original browser game's producer and director Kensuke Tanaka, shipped in Japan this past February after multiple delays. In the game, players compete with cards featuring female moe characters inspired by Japanese World War II warships such as aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers. Players build, organize, and repair their anthropomorphized fleet to progress through maps.

Moe Fantasy is holding special quests in the game from November 7 to November 14. The game also held a Halloween event, but users got another spooky surprise just before the holiday. Certain mobile security software labeled an Android version of the game as a virus on October 28. Moe Factory said the virus reports were erroneous and released an update on Halloween to address the problem.

The game launched in Chinese earlier this year, and it opened a Taiwan-based Facebook account on April 28. Many English speakers have downloaded the original game, which reportedly includes a non-functional English button.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Moe Fantasy must think very highly of Kantai Collection. Perhaps the new game is a backhanded promotional compliment for the Gekijō-ban Kan Colle anime film, which will premiere in Japan on November 26.

[Via Yaraon!]


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