Aniimo Producer Says Creature MMO Won’t Use Gacha, Cosmetic Monetization Planned

Aniimo developer Pawprint Studio is trying to head off one of the bigger questions around its free-to-play creature-collecting MMO: no, it’s not a gacha game. Executive Producer Jovi Zhang said in a Summer Game Fest interview that Aniimo won’t lock creatures behind pulls, and that the team doesn’t think a gacha system fits the way players are meant to find and bond with Aniimo in the world.

The game is currently recruiting players for its next global closed beta. That test will be the first to include monetization in some form, though Western players won’t be making real-money purchases during the beta. Instead, Pawprint plans to hand out enough in-game tokens for testers to try the shop and give feedback.

Pawprint isn’t ready to fully explain the final business model yet, but Zhang said monetization is mainly focused on cosmetics, including outfits and small visual items for both players and Aniimo. The studio also says there will be a free path to improve captured Aniimo, including pushing them closer to an “ideal” version, after feedback from earlier tests that perfecting creatures felt too difficult.

For anyone catching up, Aniimo is an open-world monster-taming MMORPG set on the planet Idyll. Players collect creatures, battle with them, and can also “Twine” with an Aniimo to take control from the creature’s perspective, using its abilities for combat and exploration.

The interview also touched on social play. Pawprint is building around co-op, shared spaces, and lighter social tools rather than forcing players into groups. Existing and planned features include boss fights, the Egg Heist mode from the last closed beta, shared RV Homeland decorating, and a flute signal players can use when they’re open to meeting others nearby.

Aniimo is planned to launch in Q3 2026 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, and Android.