Neverness to Everness

• Title — Neverness to Everness • Developer — Hotta Studio • Publisher — Perfect World Games • Engine — Unreal Engine 5 • Platform — * Android • iOS • HarmonyOS • Windows • macOS • PlayStation 5 • Genre — Action role-playing, gacha • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Producer — Yang Lei • Director — Kee Zhang

The game is a 3D action role-playing game played with a 3rd-person view. The player controls different characters and collects items as they travel around in the open virtual world. The player character can run, jump, sprint, climb, swim, and drive various vehicles to move around in the world. The character's special movements, except for sprinting, are limited by a regenerating stamina bar that slowly depletes as they continue in that movement mode. Each character has different skills, called Esper Abilities, which synergize with other characters. Players are able to switch between characters in a team of 4, and can perform common hack and slash gameplay mechanics like basic dodges, perfect dodges, and parries. Characters also have different Esper types which are split into Lakshana, Cosmos, Anima, Incantation, Chaos and Psyche. There are also class types which are split into the gas, solid, liquid, plasma, and synthesis. The game features vehicle customization and upgrading business.

Neverness to Everness takes place in Hethereau, a modern fictional metropolis where supernatural anomalies and everyday urban life coexist. As an Appraiser, players are tasked with investigating these anomalies, manifestations that range from disturbances to overtly dangerous phenomena, and using Esper abilities to contain or neutralize them. As the Appraiser delves deeper into the anomalies, they encounter a rotating cast of companions with their own Esper powers that are crucial for unraveling the larger mysteries of Hethereau. These characters help reveal how the anomalies affect different parts of the city and its inhabitants. Their interactions and investigations gradually uncover a layered web of cause and effect behind the supernatural occurrences.

Neverness to Everness is produced by Suzhou-based Hotta Studio, a subsidiary of Perfect World Games. The game was developed in Unreal Engine 5. The combination of Hotta Studio developers enjoying making Mirroria (a cyberpunk city) for their previous title, Tower of Fantasy, and the positive feedback from players, inspired them to make an open world game. Their "year and a half" experience developing urban content helped them complete Neverness to Everness in less than two years. Neverness to Everness was first officially announced, via the release of a promotional video, on July 16, 2024. In November 2024, the game held its first closed beta in China. A global closed beta test followed in July 2025, with a second and final global closed beta conducted in February 2026. Neverness to Everness launched in China on April 23, 2026, and worldwide on April 29. In July 2026, Neverness to Everness launched in Steam, Epic Games Store and Samsung Galaxy Store.

In the days after Neverness to Everness was released, players accused the game of using AI art and AI-generated video. Multiple associates of NTE reacted publicly to the controversy. Ironmouse, a VTuber who produced sponsored content for the game, ended her partnership with Hotta Studio and claimed they told her that there would be no generative AI assets in the game. Shylily, a VTuber ended her sponsored NTE livestream early after being notified of suspected AI generated assets. Meggie Elise, an English voice actor for NTE made a post on X many believe was aimed at Hotta Studio for "using AI and has been dishonest about it" and stating “If this is not addressed and removed, I will not be continuing work with this team.”. NTE's executive producer Yang Lei disclosed use of AI assets in NTE before the game was released. Hotta Studio issued a statement via the official NTE X account, writing that "AI-assisted tools were used only on a small number of background and environmental assets, not on the characters or stories that define this game." They also announced that they would review and rework the relevant assets. Community response to Hotta's statement was mostly positive. Many players were happy that Hotta was addressing the situation and were not bothered by AI usage, they also thought less AI generated artwork would improve the game. On the other hand, some commenters accused Hotta Studio of not addressing all AI generated content since they believed generative AI was used for NTE 's advertising.

Neverness to Everness is associated with People's Republic of China.