Neverness to Everness vs Ananta: What's the Difference Between These Often-Confused Games?

If you've been following news about Neverness to Everness (NTE), chances are you've also come across the name Ananta. Many players confuse these two games — after all, they are both urban-themed anime open-world RPGs. But the truth is they are completely different games developed by entirely different studios, with distinct core gameplay and design philosophies. This article will help you understand exactly what sets them apart.

NTE and Ananta are often mixed up for several key reasons:

1. 1Highly similar themes: Both games are set in modern urban environments with anime-style characters, which is already rare in a genre dominated by fantasy settings.
2. 2Overlapping exposure timelines: Both games entered the public eye around the same period with testing schedules that overlap, causing players to cross-reference information between the two.
3. 3Vague name recognition: Neither 'Neverness to Everness' nor 'Ananta' are traditional game names, making it easy for newcomers to mix them up.
4. 4Community cross-posting: On forums and social media, discussion threads frequently mix information from both games, further fueling the confusion.

But dig beneath the surface and you'll find that these two games are fundamentally different from developer to core gameplay.

This is the most fundamental difference between the two.

NTE is developed by Hotta Studio under Perfect World. Hotta Studio previously developed Tower of Fantasy and brings extensive experience in open-world mobile gaming. NTE represents Hotta Studio's ambitious new foray into urban-themed gaming, with significant technical improvements over their previous work.

Ananta is developed by NetEase, one of China's largest and oldest game companies with numerous well-known IPs and in-house studios. Ananta is NetEase's major investment in the anime open-world genre, backed by substantial R&D resources.

In short: NTE is a Perfect World project, Ananta is a NetEase project. The two companies are completely separate with no development team overlap.

NTE's combat centers on Esper abilities, emphasizing fast-paced action combos and parry mechanics. Each character has unique Esper combat styles with a feel that leans toward pure action games with a high skill ceiling. Successfully landing parries triggers satisfying counter-attacks, and combo attacks feature impressive visual effects. The overall combat rhythm is snappy and focuses heavily on individual player skill.

Ananta's combat has a different design philosophy. While also action-focused, the skill combinations and character switching mechanics follow their own unique approach. Specific combat details are still being refined, but from currently available test information, the two games have noticeably different combat feel and operational logic.

If you are a hardcore action player, we recommend trying both games personally before making a judgment, as combat feel is a highly subjective experience.

NTE builds an open urban world called Hethereau — a modern city filled with supernatural phenomena where Espers take on commissions and fight Anomalies. Hethereau is a true seamless open world where players can freely walk, drive vehicles through streets, and enter buildings for exploration. Anomaly dungeons and world events are scattered throughout the city, offering high exploration freedom.

Ananta is also set in a modern urban environment, but the specific presentation and exploration mechanics differ. Both games have distinct approaches to map design, atmosphere, and exploration content. More detailed comparisons will be possible as additional information becomes publicly available.

The gacha system represents one of the most impactful differences for players.

NTE: No 50/50, Player-Friendly Pity

NTE has confirmed via its official livestream that there is NO 50/50 mechanic on the limited banner. When you pull an S-rank character on the limited banner, it is 100% guaranteed to be the featured character. At most 90 pulls guarantees your desired limited character. Additionally, NTE offers:

• Beginner-exclusive banner: 20-pull pity guarantees an S-rank character, and you can SELECT which one
• Standard banner grants an S-rank selector ticket at 50 cumulative pulls
• City Tycoon mode gives a free S-rank character (Xiaozhi)
• Approximately 418 free pulls expected at launch

Ananta: Traditional 50/50 System

Ananta uses a traditional 50/50 gacha system. When you pull a highest-rarity character on the limited banner for the first time, there is a 50% chance it is the featured character and a 50% chance it is a standard banner character. If you lose the 50/50, you need to reach hard pity to guarantee the featured character. This is consistent with mainstream anime games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero.

Comparison Summary

In terms of gacha generosity, NTE's no-50/50 mechanic means every pull holds significantly more value. For the same featured character, NTE requires at most 90 pulls while Ananta may require up to 180 pulls (hard pity). For free-to-play and low-spending players, this difference is substantial.

NTE's Signature Systems

• Vehicle Driving: Players can drive various vehicles freely through the city, greatly improving exploration efficiency and immersion
• Housing System: Purchase and decorate your own home with customizable interior design
• City Tycoon: Management gameplay that rewards a free S-rank character
• Anomaly Dungeons: Supernatural dungeon challenges scattered throughout the city

Ananta's Signature Systems

Ananta focuses its side-content in different directions with its own unique gameplay emphases. Specific feature systems are still being revealed over time. From currently available information, the two games take distinctly different routes in their secondary gameplay design.

Both games support PC and mobile platforms. Specific multi-platform coverage (such as console releases) will be confirmed by each game's official announcements.

NTE uses Unreal Engine 5 for realistic rendering with highly refined city lighting effects and material details, pursuing an authentic urban visual experience. Hardware requirements are relatively higher.

Ananta has its own artistic direction in anime rendering. Specific visual presentation details will become clearer as more content is publicly showcased.

NTE is the better fit if you enjoy:

• A no-50/50 player-friendly gacha system
• True open-world urban exploration
• Unique features like vehicle driving and housing decoration
• Fast-paced action combat with parry mechanics
• Highly realistic graphics

You might want to check out Ananta if you are interested in:

• NetEase's take on an urban anime RPG
• A different combat design philosophy
• The NetEase gaming ecosystem

Of course, both games are free to play, so you can easily experience both. On our NTE Wiki, you'll find detailed character guides and build recommendations, plus a gacha simulator to plan your pulling strategy in advance.

While NTE and Ananta share similar themes, they are completely different games from developer and combat system to gacha mechanics and unique features. NTE, developed by Perfect World / Hotta Studio, stands out with its no-50/50 gacha, open-world urban exploration, vehicle driving, and housing systems. Ananta, developed by NetEase, has its own unique design direction. There is no absolute answer to 'which is better' — each game has its own strengths and target audience. As an NTE Wiki, we focus on providing comprehensive guides and tools for NTE, while encouraging players to approach every game with an open mind.

For more NTE character information and build recommendations, visit our character pages. To see which NTE characters are worth investing in, check our tier list. If you are interested in NTE's gacha system, try our gacha simulator. For more comparisons between NTE and other popular games, read our NTE vs Genshin Impact, NTE vs Wuthering Waves, and NTE vs Zenless Zone Zero articles.

1.2版本NTE已上线游乐园新地图和Encounter/Bond system。Ananta（Ananta）仍在开发中，尚未公测。两款游戏常被混淆但本质不同：NTE已上线运营，Ananta仍在测试阶段。