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Overview

Hotta Studio is a Chinese video game development studio headquartered in Suzhou, China. It operates as a subsidiary of Perfect World Games. Hotta Studio is the developer of Neverness to Everness and its predecessor title, Tower of Fantasy.

Founding

Hotta Studio was formed in 2018 by game producer Kee Zhang after he joined Perfect World Games. Before founding the studio, Kee Zhang had 19 years of experience in online game development. He previously worked at Black Gold Studio / Snail Games, where he participated in the development of Voyage Century, the first three Taichi Panda games, and Lineage 2.

Tower of Fantasy

Hotta Studio's first title was Tower of Fantasy, an open-world action RPG built on Unreal Engine 4 with anime-style aesthetics and a sci-fi setting. Development began in 2018, the same year the studio was founded. Most of the team was unfamiliar with open-world game development when they started, making the three-year development cycle a significant learning experience.

Tower of Fantasy launched in China on December 16, 2021. The global release followed on August 10, 2022, published by Level Infinite (Tencent's publishing brand). In February 2025, development and operation of Tower of Fantasy was handed back from Hotta Studio to Perfect World Games, the parent company.

Neverness to Everness

Hotta Studio's second major title is Neverness to Everness, announced on July 16, 2024. The game represents a significant technical and creative evolution from Tower of Fantasy. It is built on Unreal Engine 5 (upgraded from UE4) and shifts from a sci-fi setting to a supernatural urban environment set in Hethereau.

The game has undergone multiple beta tests throughout 2025 and early 2026, including three closed betas and the Co-Ex Test (February 6-20, 2026). It is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, iOS, and Android with cross-progression across all platforms. An App Store listing suggests a possible global release date of May 15, 2026, though this has not been officially confirmed by Hotta Studio.