How fame works in ANANTA: followers, Scope and what they unlock

In ANANTA, fame is how you progress. The Captain gains fans by finishing missions, helping people, beating enemies and streaming, and a bigger following opens new story chapters, side quests, places and allies. That is how NetEase staff described it to the press around Gamescom 2026; exact numbers haven’t been published.

Why fame drives the story

NetEase’s August 2026 press release sums up the premise as “Go Viral. Save the World.” You play an influencer in a city governed by algorithms and online culture, and the ACD, the task force the Captain leads, goes under right after the first day (ANANTA story and world explained). In the Launch Date Trailer the Captain gets advice: go viral first, and the old staff will come back once you are big enough (0:36). The developers told Famitsu that the game follows an influencer’s path: get buzz, become famous, then save the world.

Where do followers come from?

NetEase staff and the press name these sources of fans:

• Story missions, according to Wccftech and Game Informer.
• Helping people. Wccftech mentions helping citizens during random crises, Link and Rain of NetEase told Pocket Tactics that you can help pedestrians to get more fans, and the developers told Famitsu that good deeds around town add fans.
• Fighting: you can beat enemies and become a hero, Link and Rain said.
• Bounties, challenges and side quests (Wccftech, Game Informer).
• Livestreams: broadcasting what you do grows your following, Wccftech reports from NetEase’s presentation.
• Selfies with citizens, which Game Informer lists among the small interactions that bring fame.

Other characters earn their reputation through their jobs (switching characters). The developers’ example for Famitsu: a truck driver builds it by delivering more cargo, while a police officer catching criminals gets a completely different game. They also said fame snowballs: the more fans and influence you have, the more fans you can win.

What does a bigger following unlock?

According to Wccftech’s report on NetEase’s Gamescom 2026 presentation, a larger fanbase unlocks more story chapters, side quests, mechanics and companions. The developers told Famitsu that more fans widen the places you can go, bring more new allies and grow your team (fact in the registry). Link and Rain put it the same way to Pocket Tactics: you meet more people, complete more missions, explore new storylines and get more members on your team.

NetEase’s press release and Game Informer add new resources and influencer perks; what those perks are, NetEase hasn’t said. Recruiting residents into your own Yeet Squad unlocks items, badges and combat abilities (relationships with residents). Our assessment: the follower count works like the experience level in other RPGs and decides how far the story and the city open up.

Can you lose fame?

Yes. At Tokyo Game Show 2025 an IGN Japan reporter shot civilians in the demo and asked whether the Captain can do bad things. Producer Ash replied that you can do a lot, but characters have a public reputation that drops with every bad deed and makes life in the city harder. Bad behavior can also get you exposed on the in-game social network (fact in the registry).

The in-game social network and Scope

The game has its own social network. Ash told IGN Japan that it updates as the main story progresses and that reading it can lead to other missions. The phone is the way in: NetEase’s 2025 press release lets you snoop on passersby’s phones, and the IGN Japan reporter found their chats in a messaging app. In the announce trailer a post by a user called Nelectric praises the ACD with the tag #HotInUniform (1:04).

Scope is a section of the official site styled as an in-world app, with the slogan “Turn Your Visions into Vibes” and a QR code to open it on a phone. In the Launch Date Trailer a martial arts livestream plays on a phone, and its chat opens with Scope’s platform rules (2:24). NetEase hasn’t said what Scope does in the game. Our assessment: Scope is the in-game social and streaming platform, and probably the network Ash described.

Selfies, passersby and streams

Selfies are part of everyday play. GamesRadar could take them on the phone in the Tokyo Game Show 2025 free roam, and at Gamescom 2026 the Denfaminicogamer writer found that the moment the camera came out, every passerby tried a different trick to get into the shot. The 2025 gameplay trailer shows the Captain taking selfies under an overpass and among cherry blossoms (0:33).

Streaming is a path to fame as well. The 2025 press release invites you to chase fame as a live-streamer, the 2026 one lists content creator among the roles, and the Steam page says everything in the city can be streamed at any time. The announce trailer shows a stream from the channel MIMIKO, with viewers sending hearts (0:36). How streaming plays, NetEase hasn’t shown.

Taffy and the Yeet Squad

Taffy, the ACD’s other agent, is the one who dreams of fame. Her official bio says she joined the ACD expecting an easy job, and as a founding member of the Yeet Squad she hopes for perks once she racks up a million fans. NetEase’s 2026 press release borrows the name for the team you build: “Build Your Own Yeet Squad.” In the Launch Date Trailer, crowds hail the Captain as the Yeet Master (0:48).

What NetEase hasn’t said yet

• How many fans each chapter, place or companion needs.
• Whether each character has their own fan count or the team shares one.
• What the influencer perks are.
• Whether Scope is the name of the in-game network and how streams work in play.

ANANTA launches on January 15, 2027 on PC, PS5, iOS and Android (fact in the registry).