Netmarble’s adventure-crafting title Bloomwalker has been officially confirmed as part of the Ni no Kuni franchise, following a new trailer unveiled at Tokyo Game Show 2026. The confirmation arrives after the game was first shown at Gamescom in 2025, where its heavy inspiration from Studio Ghibli films was immediately apparent to players and critics alike. As of today, that visual resemblance has transitioned into an official relationship with Level-5’s beloved RPG franchise.
The latest trailer for Bloomwalker contains a telling detail hidden at the very end: copyright information crediting both Ni no Kuni and Level-5. This subtle inclusion confirms what many fans had long suspected about the game’s design philosophy, tying Netmarble’s title directly to the universe that made games like Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom famous in 2018.
The Ghibli DNA Behind Bloomwalker
A living, moving house and a tiny sentient fire that helps cook your food? That is Howl’s Moving Castle. A giant magic cat with a big creepy grin? My Neighbor Totoro. An anti-pollution story about cleansing a forest? Princess Mononoke. Throughout its development, Bloomwalker has drawn unmistakable visual cues from these Studio Ghibli classics, creating an art style that feels both nostalgic and fresh.
While the aesthetic echoes Level-5 and Studio Ghibli’s Ni no Kuni games so closely, there was a logical explanation for this creative direction. Netmarble developed and produced the controversial mobile spin-off Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds back in 2021, giving the studio deep familiarity with both the franchise’s visual language and its underlying mechanics.
The inspiration from Studio Ghibli films has always been central to Bloomwalker’s identity. Seeing those elements now officially connected to the Ni no Kuni universe is a natural culmination of that creative vision, bringing together the worlds we’ve loved for years in an unexpected new way.
[Netmarble Development Team]
A Complicated Franchise History
This marks the first time Bloomwalker has been officially related to Ni no Kuni in any capacity, and it also raises questions about how much involvement Level-5 actually has in the project. The last mainline game in the franchise was Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom in 2018, and Studio Ghibli hasn’t been involved with the series since 2011, following the release of the original Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
The confirmation may be welcome news for fans of the franchise, given that Level-5’s reputation has suffered a massive blow recently following the backlash to a genAI-laden presentation that aired on September 10. The studio has since promised to fix its Yo-Kai Watch 2 and Professor Layton presentations, explaining that many of the artwork mistakes were simply down to human error rather than AI generation.
Looking Ahead
Netmarble will have a lot to prove itself regardless of how closely Bloomwalker is tied to Level-5. Its previous Ni no Kuni game used blockchain technology that wasn’t stripped out until just this year, leaving lasting concerns among the community about its design choices.
Fans are now eager to learn more about how Bloomwalker fits into the broader Ni no Kuni timeline and what role Level-5 plays in its ongoing development. As interest builds ahead of any potential release window, the studio will need to demonstrate that it can deliver on the promise of this evocative world while respecting the legacy of a franchise that has touched millions of players worldwide.
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