New action RPG Arknights: Endfield turned heads not just because it's a major release from Hypergryph, home of tower defense powerhouse Arknights, but also because none of these other post-Genshin Impact gacha action RPGs have tried turning themselves into Factorio yet. This mix of genres immediately stood out, and I'll be damned, it actually works. Lead developer Ryan of Hypergryph tells me the factory and automation side of the game was something the developers just wanted to try, but it does have the added bonus of feeling different in a space crowded with similar RPGs.
At GDC, I spoke to Ryan about the risks of launching any live service game in 2026 – an intimidating task even to the Marvel Rivals devs – and how the gacha landscape, in particular, has evolved and started to settle. In the years since Genshin Impact's massive launch, more and more open-world-y gacha action RPGs have cropped up, and that doesn't seem to be stopping. Just look at the likes of Neverness to Everness and Silver Palace.
