Bleach: Brave Souls surpasses 75 million downloads | Pocket Gamer.biz

KLab Inc’s Bleach: Brave Souls has surpassed 75 million downloads as of June 2023 with the milestone being marked by special in-game events.

The title, first released in 2015, is based on the titular Bleach series, a significant feature in the monthly manga publication Shonen Jump. The series proved especially popular and was considered one of the ‘big three’ manga series alongside One Piece and the ever-present Dragonball.

Although the series finished its run from 2001 to 2016, a recent adaptation of the finale arc of the series entitled Thousand Year Blood War, which ran in October 2022, has reignited interest in the series. It’s not the only Shonen Jump series that KLab will be tackling as they’ve also acquired distribution rights for an upcoming game based on the series Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Bleach: Brave Souls is available worldwide as part of Klab’s Overseas Game Development Support Model that aims to generate revenue for IP holders in Japan by developing games jointly with overseas developers.

The everlasting appeal of manga and anime

It’s certainly hard to miss the significance of anime and manga in Japanese pop culture, and although the entertainment genre isn’t as widely consumed domestically as one might think, it remains one of the country’s most enduring exports. This popularity also seems key to building a long-lasting title, as while a number of other live service games have been axed in 2022-2023, Bleach: Brave Souls continues to thrive.

Despite being introduced at the turn of the century, Bleach is a series that has remained popular despite having reached it’s manga conclusion well over five years ago. The game’s popularity is testament to its design and gameplay in addition to the smart targeting of a popular IP, unlike more modern series such as Rising of the Shield Hero which have been unable to sustain their audience and popularity on mobile.