After five years of hardship, Digimon: Source Code found a way to break the deadlock

Mar 21 2025

On the same day, Digimon received multiple messages.

On March 20, Toei Animation was on Digimon Con The 25th anniversary PV of Digimon Adventure "Digimon Adventure-BEYOND-" was announced in 2025. Looking at the appearance of Taiyi and Ah He when they grew up in the short film, my thoughts suddenly returned to the time I watched Digimon more than 20 years ago. At that time, because I was young, I could not fully appreciate the unity and friendship shown in the animation. I only remember the passionate blood of the Agumon when he evolved into a battle with Tyrannosaurus for the first time, or the sad parting of "Flying Hat Kill" at the end of the first part.

In China, good news has also been heard from Digimon. The genuine authorized mobile game "Digimon: Source Code" issued by Kaiying Network has been announced to be scheduled for public beta on April 25. The official website shows that its reservation has exceeded 5 million. In my impression, this product has experienced ups and downs since its exposure in 2021. Behind the product is a R&D team that insists on realizing its ideals.

The project of "Digimon: Source Code" begins with a group of "sacred plans" of "selected people". In the winter of 2019, after the producers took the project book but were returned by seven investors in succession, they did not give up but chose to trust each other, and unswervingly mortgaged the property and invested all their funds into the long-term research and development.

At the end of 2020, the "Digimon: Source Code" team finally gained favor from the capital. It should have been a thing worth celebrating, but it was replaced in half a month.

Perhaps it was influenced by the indomitable spirit in Digimon animation that the "Digimon: Source Code" R&D team did not make the project miscarriage. Everyone still supported each other and struggled to maintain R&D with other business and team members' salary cuts. Finally, a cooperation was reached with Kaiying Network at the end of 2023.

Kaiying uses actions to embody the spiritual core of Digimon

The subsequent R&D road is still full of thorns. In April 2024, Digimon's second theatrical movie "Digimon 02: The Original Call" was released. Its box office performance was mediocre in China, with a box office of over 10 million in 5 days. It has to make people question "Is there still a market for Digimon IP?" At this time, the members of the "Digimon: Source Code" team were also trapped in self-doubt.

As a product publisher and partner, Kaiying Network has extended a helping hand in time. After analyzing and investigating the Digimon IP market and competitors, it helped the R&D team continuously polish the products. I experienced the game in the evolution test in February, and I could clearly feel that Digimon: Source Code restores the original IP and also makes innovations in gameplay.

The game plot is said to be made by mikagami, the largest game script production company in Japan. Take action, revolve around the core source code crystal, compete with the seven demon kings and the Royal Knights to save the Digimon world. The game plot echoes the plot of the dark forces in Digimon animation that attempts to destroy the digital world. As a new generation of selected people, the player fights the dark forces with the familiar Digimon and protects the digital world. Like the children in the animation, he fights to protect the two worlds.

The first scene after entering the game is the battle of Tyrannosaurus, Iron Garulu, Holy Angel Beast and Tianwo Beast join forces to fight against the Four Heavenly Kings of Darkness. The moment I saw the clown king appear, I couldn't wait to let the Holy Angel Beast release the gate of heaven to seal it. This is the Digimon DNA engraved into my bones.

Another major feature of "Digimon: Source Code" is that the game style uses a realistic style rendered by the physics engine. Whether it is the flowing ribbon of the Tianwo Beast as the action, or the Joker's iconic black and white makeup, they are restored, and even the metal armor reflections of the Battle Tyrannosaurus and the Steel Garulumon are vivid.

With the help of the distribution team, in order to restore the tones of Digimon in the original animation, the art team repeatedly tried among hundreds of colors, and the armor gloss of the character "Steel Garulu" alone has been debugged in more than 120 tones.

According to what we have learned, the team also faced a choice at the beginning of the project: should we make the mainstream cartoon style on the market or challenge the extremely impactful realistic style? After three months of repeated debugging and thinking, we finally chose the realistic style. Looking back now, this choice undoubtedly adds immersion to the game experience of Digimon: Source Code.

In addition to DigimonThe restore of the character, "Digimon: Source Code" also achieved its original flavor in action special effects. For example, the Gaia energy cannon that fights Tyrannosaurus, while resuming animation effects through the dynamic particle engine, also makes this iconic skill more visually impactful. In Digimon's unique evolutionary animation, Digimon: Source Code also made a frame rate restore.

I was discussing open world games with a friend last year, and he mentioned that "if Digimon is made into an open world to explore the gameplay, make friends with Lion Beasts, and save fairy beasts and giant whale beasts, Digimons who sacrificed their lives to protect the protagonist group will make up for their regrets." Unexpectedly, in less than a year, Digimon: Source Code achieved a breakthrough in this direction. "Digimon: Source Code" builds an open Digimon world, where players can explore, fight and obtain resources through the "grid" form. The most intuitive feeling I experienced was "more closer to the exploration of the Digimon world in the original work."

It is not only the restoration of Digimon IP, but also innovations in gameplay.

First, in "Digimon: Source Code", each Ultimate Digimon has 1 general attack, 6 active skills and 3 passive skills, a total of 10 skill pools. Players can freely choose two active skills and 1 passive skill to match. For example, the Iron Garulumon can use "absolute freezer" to apply Debuff or "gigabit destruction" as a single large amount of damage. It is difficult for the opponent to accurately judge the form on the field, which not only increases the diversity of team matching, but also brings more strategicity to PVP, avoiding the game becoming a simple numerical confrontation.

Secondly, "Digimon: Source Code" has added an overload mechanism, allowing players to "prepare" the character's energy value in exchange for high explosions or cooperate with other characters in the team to deal high damage, which can bring a chance to turn the tables against the wind in some games that are in desperate situations.

Innovation has also been made in the way of obtaining Digimon. Instead of drawing cards, it combines the core gameplay of the world of "Digimon: Source Code" to obtain digital eggs through exploration, main line, daily tasks, etc., from incubation - childhood - growth stage - maturity - complete body - ultimate body, step by step to develop the player's own Digimon. This way of developing an IP that is more in line with the original IP not only makes players feel more immersive, but also makes me feel the respect of the distribution team and R&D team for IP and their attention to "Digimon: Source Code".

Imagine if you train the Digo beast to the Bada beast, then evolve all the way to the sacred angel beast, or evolve the ball beast to the combat Tyrannosaurus. I wonder if you can return to that summer more than 20 years ago?

Through this cultivation method, players can easily complete the Digimon full picture book. "Digimon: Source Code" announced that it would give out ultimate Digimon such as Battle Tyrannosaurus and Steel Garulumon when it was launched, just enough to engrave the words "conscience" on the screen.

The one that surprised me the most in the February test was also the casual gameplay in Digimon: Source Code, which also originated from the adjustment suggestions put forward by the distribution team. In the game, you can experience fishing, cooking, collecting, and collecting Easter eggs hidden in the big world. While enriching the game content, it also focuses on Digimon fans' demand for fragmented game time.

With the strong support of the distribution team, "Digimon: Source Code" not only achieves breakthroughs in IP restoration and gameplay innovation, but also the best manifestation of supporting Digimon and never giving up the spiritual core.

IP is enough to restore, the gameplay is innovative, and the source code is more likely to break the deadlock

In recent years, competition in the Japanese animation IP-changing mobile game market has become increasingly fierce. According to Japanese data research institution Spice A recent report released by Mart shows that among the top 200 best-selling lists in China in December 2024, mobile games from Japanese IP accounted for 12%, down 3% from the same period last year.

Objectively, comic-adapted mobile games also face problems such as serious homogeneity of gameplay and content, lack of innovation in game design, and shortening product life cycle. Fans of anime IP hope to relive classic plots and characters through the game, and also have high requirements for the gameplay, graphics, sound effects, etc. How to make a breakthrough in gameplay while retaining the original IP has become many game manufacturers that hold large IPs.The way to break the deadlock is sought.

"Digimon: Source Code" provides the industry with a reference for breakthrough ideas. Although it cannot be concluded that "Digimon: Source Code" will definitely be a big hit, the game's attempts in IP restoration and gameplay innovation and the phased results of 5 million appointments before it was launched, so we have reason to continue to pay attention to it in the public beta.

People with dreams know how to let those with the same dreams realize their dreams.

The "Digimon: Source Code" team, a group of "selected candidates" who have experienced ups and downs, has shown enough sincerity. It not only carries the feelings of more than 5 million players, but also the dream of the members of the distribution team and R&D team of Kaiying Network. From their five years of experience, I have seen their persistence, growth, mutual support, and sense of responsibility...

When I was a child, I could not fully understand the values ​​of unity, courage, fearlessness and other values ​​brought by each protagonist in Digimon animation. When I grew up, we could gain insights on Digimon: Source Code. In the game, you can feel its restoration of the Digimon world, and outside the game, you can still feel the continuation of the spirit of never giving up that Digimon brings to us. Inspired by this value and spirit, the subsequent development of "Digimon: Source Code" is even more worth looking forward to.