In May 2025, a remake of the horror game “AOONI”, produced by Brave group, was released on Roblox and Fortnite. It became a massive hit, surpassing 50 million plays in just two months (from May-June 2025).
In this article, we interview the project’s producer, Shohei Miura, to discuss the inspiration behind the project, its bold strategies, and his vision for the future of immersive media.
Head of the IP Solution Office at Brave group Inc. and Director at D1-Lab, Inc.
Shohei Miura
After experience in TV program production and as a video content director, Miura joined Brave group with a diverse background that includes sales at an advertising agency and a wide range of roles from SNS/influencer marketing to new business development at a marketing firm and production company. He is currently in charge of a broad spectrum of duties, from marketing support utilizing XR, the metaverse, and IP to business development. In April 2024, he launched BEverse and serves as the producer for “AOONI-Nightmare” and “AOONI Survival-Official-.”
Why “AOONI”? The Project’s Origins and Challenges
── What inspired the launch of this project?
Miura:In April 2024, we launched “BEverse”, a content label specializing in metaverse platforms, as a new business venture for Brave group Inc.
While I was leading the development of our own game titles and supporting creators on Roblox and Fortnite under BEverse, I was also contemplating how we could create synergy with Japanese IP on the platform.
Many IP holders and companies overseas had already established revenue models through collaborations. In Japan, influencers and anime franchises began making inroads in the latter half of 2024. Seeing these preceding examples, I felt it was inevitable that IP would expand into avatars and games. I was constantly thinking about how BEverse could enter this market and planning collaborations with IP that could become a success story.
── What kind of companies, both globally and in Japan, are entering Roblox and Fortnite?
Miura:Globally, major companies like Marvel and Nike, along with numerous high-end brands, have a presence. In Japan, the number of famous anime IP and domestic brands is also increasing. For many children, these games are their first touchpoint with an IP or brand.
Amidst this trend, I had the opportunity to exchange information with a director from LiTMUS Inc., a company developing games under UUUM, and that’s when “AOONI” came up.
Miura:“AOONI” was already a popular IP in Japan, but it had not yet achieved global expansion. LiTMUS was passionate about bringing “AOONI” to a wider international audience, so I proposed, “Let BEverse handle it”, and the project officially began.
── I see. Weren’t you concerned about the numerous unofficial “AOONI” games that already existed on Roblox and Fortnite?
Miura: That’s a valid point. Due to the UGC (*) nature of the platforms, many fan-made “AOONI” worlds and maps were already available. However, I felt this wasn’t entirely a negative thing.
(*) UGC: User-Generated Content. Refers to original content created by users.
Miura:The existence of many fan-made creations means there is a large audience eager to play. This made me feel there was significant potential for an official release.
By reframing “a large number of fan-made works” as “a large potential market”, I determined that releasing an official game had high potential.
『Why the Simultaneous Roblox & Fortnite Launch Accelerated “AOONI”s Success
── Did you anticipate it would become such a huge hit?
Miura: To be honest, I didn’t expect it to grow this quickly, but I did have certain expectations for its current number of plays. Our release strategy was built on three key pillars: 1) a mutual user referral design, 2) a commitment to a high-quality experience, and 3) creating a ripple effect of publicity.
【Strategy 1】Driving Mutual Referrals Between Unofficial & Official Communities
Miura:As I mentioned earlier, numerous unofficial “fan-made AOONI creations” by overseas creators already existed. It would have been easy to dismiss them as “pirated versions.” However, as I said before, the users playing in those worlds and games are highly likely to be genuine or potential fans.
Roblox has a teleport feature that allows users to move between worlds. In what was likely an unprecedented move, we linked the teleport points between the unofficial “fan-made AOONI” works and the official “AOONI-Nightmare” world.
── So it’s like a tunnel between them?
Miura:Yes. Thanks to the cooperation of our development partners, we designed a pathway that creates a two-way flow of traffic between the official and unofficial worlds.
I believe this pathway design led to a significant initial influx of users and contributed to the community’s growth. Furthermore, ”AOONI” already had a foundation where influencers would feature new releases. By generating positive word-of-mouth for both the official and unofficial versions, we were able to familiarize a wide audience with the game’s atmosphere.
【Strategy 2】Designing a Uniquely High-Quality Experience
Miura:When it came to planning and production, I was very particular about selecting our development partners.
For the Roblox version, “AOONI-Nightmare”, we commissioned Omochi Studio, which has an extensive track record in Roblox production. They have a particularly strong portfolio in the horror game genre, and their masterpiece, “PETAPETA｜Level6”, has received high praise globally.
I felt that their ability to express a terrifying atmosphere and worldview through visuals, sound, and user flow in the development of “AOONI-Nightmare” was a perfect match for the experience we wanted to create for “AOONI”.
── “PETAPETA｜Level6” and “AOONI-Nightmare” have a level of realism and horror that is astounding for Roblox.
Miura: New content is born when you match creators who have a strong commitment to the “AOONI” worldview and horror expression, creating a system that fully draws out the charm of both. I believe this fusion of rendered textures and atmosphere is the secret to its popularity.
For “AOONI-Nightmare”, we respected the creators’ opinions and allowed them to make the most of their accumulated knowledge and expertise.
【Strategy 3】”See You in Two Worlds”: Creating a Ripple Effect with a Simultaneous Launch
Miura:The goal of this project is to have as many people as possible around the world enjoy “AOONI”. The demographics and playstyles of users on Roblox and Fortnite are different, as is the excitement within their respective communities. Therefore, we believed that by providing an optimized experience for both, we could have many players enjoy the game for a “long time”.
── It’s true, they seem to have different age groups and play styles.
Miura:Exactly. Roblox tends to have a large Generation Alpha audience, while Fortnite is popular with Generation Z, but also has many adult users.
However, even more important than demographic data (*) is optimizing the way people have fun and play. On Fortnite, experiences that are active and shared with friends are popular, thanks to the vibrant graphics and fast-paced gameplay. The styles differ slightly between platforms and game genres, so it’s necessary to consider game design with an understanding of each.
Furthermore, we focused on something else to generate buzz. While the age groups and playstyles on Roblox and Fortnite differ, their respective communities converge into a single fandom for “AOONI”.
(*) Demographic data: Short for demographic data, which includes statistical information such as age, gender, family structure, occupation, education, income, and life stage.
Miura:Therefore, we centralized our communication, releasing information for both titles simultaneously from the official “Ao On”i social media accounts. I believe that allowing users to learn about and choose their preferred way to play from a single official source led to a broader reach.
In addition, a major advantage of the simultaneous release was that influencers in both communities, as well as Roblox and Fortnite users and media outlets from around the world, featured the games extensively. We also released the Teaser PV with English subtitles.
Miura:This work is a horror experience with low language dependency and is aimed at different gaming cultures and communities. I think expressing the concepts of both games’ worlds in a single video was effective in delivering it to a wide overseas audience.
As we hoped, we received many comments from overseas users even before the release, which helped build anticipation among fans and users both in Japan and abroad.
The Future of Marketing as an “Immersive Medium”
──Could you tell us about the future of BEverse?
Miura:At BEverse, we believe this case is more than just a hit game.
“AOONI-Nightmare” is played about 1 million times on average per week, but Japanese users account for only 6% of that.
── It’s surprising that only 6% are from Japan. Which regions are playing it?
Miura:It’s being played by people in many regions around the world, primarily in English-speaking countries, but also in Southeast Asia and Europe.
Roblox is sometimes called “the YouTube of gaming.” Children who used to just enjoy video content are now flocking to game development, releasing their own original games as if they were streaming videos. Game development used to have a very high barrier to entry, but Roblox and Fortnite provide tools to create games, and now even elementary school students can make them.
Games are becoming a means of global communication, transcending language barriers.
── Game creation itself is becoming like social media.
Miura: I agree. The number of young users is on a completely different level, and some data shows that their average usage time is longer than on TikTok or YouTube. I believe a contributing factor is that more people are prioritizing experiential value. Media like Roblox and Fortnite, where you can have a “shared experience” with others, are sometimes called “Immersive Media.”
── Could you tell us more about immersive media?
Miura:“Immersive Media” refers to an experience that makes users feel deeply immersed. It’s not a passive, viewing-based experience like watching a movie, but an “immersive experience” through participation in a space and active interaction. I believe it’s crucial to develop new marketing methods that leverage these characteristics. “AOONI-Nightmare” and “AOONI Survival-Official-” were also designed with this trait at their core.
Miura:Generation Alpha and Generation Z tend to ignore traditional advertising.
The place where they spend their time is no longer passive media like television or social media. It is the game space as an “Immersive Medium.” The “shared experiences” and empathy born there are changing their subconscious perceptions of brands and IP.
Considering this situation, I believe this case study holds a major hint for all companies thinking about future marketing and IP utilization.
As it was just announced in July 2025, Roblox has begun to establish an Official IP Partner Program, and Japanese IP are participating in this first phase. In the future, we can expect official collaborations to become even more common.
Roblox Launches New Licensing Platform For Experiences
URL：https://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/07/roblox-launches-new-licensing-platform-for-experiences
Miura:Speaking of “Immersive Media”, I believe IP content like VTubers is also extremely compatible with VRChat. It holds the potential to further expand diverse “immersive experiences”, such as costume expressions that are difficult to achieve in real life and virtual live shows where you feel like you are truly there.
In light of these trends, BEverse will continue to expand new customer experiences through its planning capabilities and technology. We will be sharing the latest information and case studies on “Immersive Media” on the official BEverse X account, so please give us a follow.
▼BEverse Official X
https://x.com/Beverse00000
