Blue Archive Steam Version Draws Overwhelmingly Negative Reviews Over Gacha Pity Change
The backlash shows that a change framed as a bonus can still read as a loss when it resets progress, and the delayed global rollout means overseas players are reacting to a system they have not yet experienced.
Key Facts
- Blue Archive's global Steam version has an 'overwhelmingly negative' rating, with only 10% of 3,883 reviews in the last 30 days being positive as of July 28, 2026.
- The gacha overhaul was announced during the Blue Archive 5.5th Anniversary Live Broadcast on July 26, 2026, abolishing the old 'Recruitment Points' system.
- The new 'Recruitment Charge' system gives a 50% chance to obtain the pickup character at 100 pulls and guarantees the pickup at 200 pulls, but resets the count if the pickup character is obtained.
- The 'Recruitment Count Bonuses' details were released on July 28, 2026, with first-time and repeat bonuses that do not carry over to the next pickup recruitment.
- The gacha system renewal is scheduled to be implemented after maintenance on July 29, 2026.
Reporting from 2 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
The global Steam version of Blue Archive, the action anime RPG developed by NEXON Games, has fallen to an 'overwhelmingly negative' review rating. As of July 28, the Steam store page showed that only 10% of the 3,883 reviews posted in the last 30 days were positive. Most recent reviews cite the student recruitment system overhaul announced during the Blue Archive 5.5th Anniversary Live Broadcast on July 26. The change abolishes the old 'Recruitment Points' system, which let players exchange for a target character after 200 pulls, and replaces it with 'Recruitment Charge' and 'Recruitment Count Bonuses.' Under the new system, reaching 100 pulls gives a 50% chance to obtain the pickup character, and 200 pulls guarantees it. However, the count resets if the pickup character is obtained in any pickup recruitment, unlike the old points system which did not reset when the gacha changed. Critics on social media argue that players aiming for two pickup characters may be worse off depending on reset timing, while some claim the expected value has improved. The renewal is scheduled to go live after maintenance on July 29, 2026. The overseas Steam version has delayed update timing, so reviews appear to come from users concerned the same system will reach them later.
The new 'Recruitment Charge' system introduces a 50% chance to obtain the pickup character at 100 pulls and a guaranteed pickup at 200 pulls, but it resets the count whenever the pickup character appears in any pickup recruitment. The old 'Recruitment Points' system did not reset when the gacha changed, which some players say made it more advantageous in certain situations. The 'Recruitment Count Bonuses' details released on July 28 show a tiered reward list, including selection boxes, Goddess's Fragments, and limited-time 10-pull tickets at various pull counts, with repeat bonuses looping after all first-time bonuses are claimed. The bonus count does not carry over to the next pickup recruitment and resets at the end of the period.
Both Game Spark and GameBusiness.jp report the same review figures and system details, and both note that the global Steam version is provided by NEXON Korea and is not available from Japan. The sources also point out that the overseas version has delayed update timing, so the negative reviews appear to come from users worried that the same system will be introduced to their version later. The gacha renewal is scheduled to be implemented after maintenance on July 29, 2026.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GameBusiness.jp 『ブルーアーカイブ』国外Steam版が“圧倒的に不評”に。ガチャの「天井」システム変更に批判集まる
- Game Spark 『ブルーアーカイブ』国外Steam版が“圧倒的に不評”に。ガチャの「天井」システム変更に批判集まる