Former Blue Archive developers' new visual novel, Project KV, has been canceled following significant backlash. Let's explore the reasons behind this abrupt termination.
Project KV Cancellation: A Response to Backlash
Dynamis One Apologizes for Project KV
Dynamis One, a studio established by ex-Blue Archive developers at Nexon Games, announced the cancellation of its anticipated title, Project KV, via Twitter (X) on September 9th. The statement acknowledged the controversy surrounding Project KV's striking resemblance to Blue Archive and apologized for the resulting upset. The studio stressed its commitment to avoiding similar future issues, confirmed the project's cancellation, and pledged to remove all related online materials. They expressed regret to fans who supported the project and promised to strive for better results in future endeavors.
Project KV's initial promotional video, released August 18th, showcased a voiced story prologue. A second teaser, released two weeks later, provided further glimpses into characters and storyline. However, the project's cancellation followed just a week after the second teaser's launch. While disappointing for Dynamis One, the online reaction to the cancellation was largely celebratory.
Blue Archive's Shadow: The "Red Archive" Controversy
Dynamis One, founded in April by former Blue Archive lead Park Byeong-Lim and other key developers, immediately attracted attention from the Blue Archive community. The subsequent unveiling of Project KV ignited a firestorm of criticism. The game's aesthetic, music, and core concept—a Japanese-style city populated by weapon-wielding female students—were deemed too similar to Blue Archive.
The presence of a "Master" character, echoing Blue Archive's "Sensei," and the use of halo-like adornments above characters, mirroring a key visual element in Blue Archive, fueled the controversy.
These halos, significant narrative symbols in Blue Archive, were a major point of contention. Many perceived Project KV as attempting to unfairly capitalize on Blue Archive's success through the adoption of similar visual cues, leading to accusations of plagiarism and the derisive nickname "Red Archive." Speculation even arose that "KV" was a reference to "Kivotos," Blue Archive's fictional city.
While Blue Archive's general producer, Kim Yong-ha, indirectly addressed the controversy by sharing a fan clarification on Twitter (X) stating Project KV's lack of direct connection to Blue Archive, the damage was done.
The overwhelmingly negative response ultimately led to Project KV's demise. Dynamis One's cancellation announcement lacked specifics, leaving the future direction of the studio and its ability to learn from this experience uncertain. While some expressed disappointment at the lost potential, many viewed the cancellation as a fitting consequence of the perceived plagiarism.
