Why choose "NieR"? Can the "AAA halo" really add international prestige to Justice Online?

If anyone deserves the title of "king of collaborations," it has to be Justice Online Mobile, even earning the nickname "collaboration maniac" from players.

On Justice Online’s collaboration list, apart from the elusive "Old Wang," it includes classics from TV dramas like "Empresses in the Palace," to domestic animations such as "Fox Spirit Matchmaker," "Love and Redemption," and "The Legend of Qin," plus children’s hits like "Calabash Brothers" and "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf"—there’s nothing they won’t dare to team up with.

If adapting a traditional style with "Empresses in the Palace," or collaborating with the ethereal "Fox Spirit Matchmaker," and turning Lazy Sheep into a character who "falls asleep instantly" is surprising yet somewhat expected—since these IPs all belong to the Chinese style or romance genres, mixing them doesn’t feel out of place.

But who would have guessed Justice Online’s collaboration ambitions go far beyond that? The October "Crossing Mountains" expansion takes a high-tech route: partnering with Yushu Technology to bring the AI robot dog from the Spring Festival Gala into the martial arts world, letting the mechanical dog and the cute "Blood River Puppy" compete for popularity, adorably intense.

On the other hand, they dropped a bombshell—officially announcing a collaboration with the Japanese national-level AAA IP, the "NieR" series. Once the news broke, players exploded: could slapping a AAA halo on itself really add international prestige to Justice Online?

Though it sounds a bit far-fetched, a closer look reveals this collaboration is not about "riding the halo" but rather a "soulmate-like partnership."

First, this is Justice Online Mobile’s way of pampering its fans. In a previous "most wanted collaboration IP" poll, NieR ranked in the top 10, with comments full of requests like "want to see 2B in Hanfu" and "please bring NieR’s BGM to Bianjing"—this move is a precise fan service.

Secondly, the core themes of the two IPs align closely: the NieR series, proven by 9 million global sales, captivates with deep reflections on "the boundary between AI and humans"—Justice Online’s AI teammates chat with players and adjust conversations based on emotions, essentially a real-life "philosophical experiment."

This shared spiritual core makes the crossover between sci-fi and martial arts feel perfectly natural.

Moreover, based on past experience, Justice Online Mobile doesn’t just do a stiff "reskin transplant," but creatively integrates elements. For example, its collaboration with "God Slayer" included original costumes. Following these successful precedents, the NieR collaboration will likely remix 2B’s iconic combat outfit into a Hanfu hybrid and turn 9S’s mechanical eye into a back accessory, among other things.

Fans are also eagerly awaiting the legendary music from the NieR series—where it will appear on the map remains a mystery, but it’s definitely something to look forward to.

Furthermore, Justice Online Mobile doesn’t actually need international prestige. It has been covered multiple times by foreign media and was even called "China’s top MMO" by Japanese outlets. Its Steam version is set for official release on November 7. All signs indicate that Justice Online Mobile has already stepped onto the international stage and plans to achieve even greater things—this is its grand ambition.

Ultimately, what makes Justice Online’s collaborations so captivating isn’t how "outlandish" they are, but how they always find a "reasonable" fit in the "unexpected." Regarding this collaboration with the NieR series, do you think the official team can pull it off?