Aniimo Brings Creature-Collecting Adventure to Xbox and PC with a Magical Twist

Aniimo got announced not long ago during the Xbox Showcase, which happened on June 8th, 2025. This is being made by Pawprint Studio and gonna be published by FunPlus under Kingsglory (they do mobile stuff mostly). Aniimo is sorta like Pokémon but more open-world-y. It’s planned to be released in 2026 on Xbox Series X and S, and also for Windows PC, and mobile too – both Android and iOS.

Aniimo Gameplay Feels Familiar… But Not Quite?

In the fantasy land of Idyll, you play something called a Pathfinder. You collect magical beasts called Aniimo. These creatures don’t just fight – you can also upgrade them, evolve them, and even research them (whatever that means in-game).

But then comes this thing they call “Twining.” That’s when you, like, merge with your Aniimo buddy, which lets you use special powers and makes exploring the world different. You even solve puzzles that way apparently. It sounds new, although maybe a bit strange, but maybe cool also.

Free-to-Play Thing Going On

It’s going to be free-to-play, which is always good, but also a little concerning sometimes. They haven’t told much about microtransactions but you can probably expect some. They said there’s cross-platform progression, so your account follows you across devices, which is nice.

There’s a beta coming soon too – PC players can sign up now and it’s gonna go live sometime in summer.

What The Creators Are Saying

Jovi Zhang, the main producer, said that they wanted to make something people always dreamed about. The idea was, like, “Finally this is the one creature game fans were waiting for.” Pretty emotional words for a game with cute monsters.

FunPlus’s Chris Petrovic also mentioned it’s gonna “shake up” the genre. Which… people always say that. We’ll see.

How It Might Fit in the Market

With games like Temtem and Palworld doing pretty well lately, Aniimo is trying to ride the same wave. The “Twining” system seems like their big selling point. But not everyone is convinced.

There are already some concerns – people said online that it’s kinda a Pokémon copy visually. Some of the creature designs may look a little too familiar. Also, some Reddit users spotted a gacha system in the trailer, so now there are talks about battle passes and pay-to-win junk. That might make folks hesitate.

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What Comes Next?

• Closed beta for PC dropping this summer

• Full game release is supposed to be in 2026

• Developers promise they’ll listen to feedback and update it regularly after launch.

Ending Thoughts?

Aniimo might be the next big thing if it pulls off all the stuff it promises. The world looks colorful, the creature mechanics sound unique (sort of), and the free-to-play access might help it get lots of players. But then again, if it ends up with too many microtransactions or legal trouble over looking like Pokémon… well, things could get messy.