What has become of the most anticipated game for female audiences in 2026?

“Which of the following character types do you prefer?”

"Dominant" or "submissive," or "incest" and "faithful dog"?

On April 28, 2025, *Under the Night*, then known as *Code: Boom Boom*, gained widespread attention due to its first beta survey. The survey boldly and explicitly listed 33 different character types for players to select from.

The survey revealed more than just female character types and plot preferences. It included a series of questions that directly addressed female desires, such as “How much do you prefer CG images showing male characters’ bodies?” and “How much do you prefer male characters with muscular builds?”

Women, who have long been the objects of gaze in romantic relationships, are given top priority in this questionnaire. They can now acknowledge and choose their own desires, and turn their gaze toward their partner in the relationship.

With its unique questionnaire design and the distinctive themes showcased in its game trailer, *Under the Night* caused a sensation among female gamers almost as soon as it was unveiled. The first trailer garnered over 3 million views, and pre-registrations surpassed 1 million.

*Under the Night Sky* was developed by Sleepless Night Studio, a subsidiary of Bao Games. Bao Games once captured the childhood memories of an entire generation with titles such as *Obi Island* and *Ola Star*, and has since incubated multiple project teams as it transitions to focus on a more mature user market.

Since its initial reveal, *Under the Night* has undergone three rounds of testing in May and December 2025, as well as recently, sparking heated discussions within the community nearly every time.

Even as a game marketed as “for women,” the buzz surrounding it has been accompanied by controversy among “female lead fans” and “immersionists.” Yesterday, *Under the Night* launched its third beta test. Ahead of the test, the developers included a question in the survey addressing the very issue that has been causing confusion within the female player community: whether players should immerse themselves in the game.

Even with the "for women" label, the heated discussions have been accompanied by debates between "female lead supporters" and "role-players." Ahead of the third beta test that began yesterday, the game developers went so far as to include the question of "whether to role-play"—a topic of constant debate within the female player community—in the survey.

But regardless of whether the reviews are positive or negative, they all point to the same fact: works that truly address female desire are extremely rare in the mobile gaming market. Regardless of whether *Under the Night* succeeds in the future, it is already a prime example worth examining.

01

When "Desire" Becomes the Core of the Game

*Under the Night Sky* tells a story of power and hatred.

In the fictional world of Western Fantasy, the once-glorious Cecilia family has fallen into ruin. Following the massacre that wiped out the clan, players—as the family’s sole heir—step back into the treacherous vortex of power as the “new Duke of Defran.”

Rebuilding the family and uncovering the truth behind its downfall have become the goals of my return. As old and new factions clash, I must negotiate with the underworld, maneuver within the Noble Council, and cling to my own chance of survival while caught between the worlds of the law and the underworld.

This sets the tone for the story in *Under the Night Sky*—no saccharine romanticism, just a struggle for survival woven from power and hatred.

Like most similar mobile games aimed at female audiences, this game builds its core gameplay—including gacha mechanics, character development, and combat—around a central storyline. Yet it breaks away from traditional conventions: there is no predetermined sole male lead, and every character the player encounters along the way forms a unique bond with the protagonist.

By the third beta test, the game had expanded its gameplay further, transforming "bases" into mini-games focused on home-building. Players can construct houses in their own private spaces and assign characters to complete production orders, demonstrating the developer's commitment to long-term operation.

At the heart of the entire game lies "desire." The key that grants the protagonist mysterious powers in the face of despair and becomes the hope for the family's revival is called the "Key of Desire."

The game is rife with explorations of desire: romantic attraction forges bonds, greed sparks conflict, and a tangled web of hidden desires all contribute to the game’s examination of human nature and power.

02

An Overlooked Market Gap

Every time *Under the Night* is unveiled or undergoes testing, it sparks heated discussion. At its core, this is because the game dares to wear its “desire” on its sleeve—and this boldness precisely highlights a long-standing gap in the female-oriented gaming market.

Since 2024, when *Love & Deep Space* and *Beyond the World* launched their open beta simultaneously for the “Battle for the Top of the Second Tier,” generating exceptionally high revenue and performance, few mobile games targeting “female romance” have been released in the past two years."The Seal of Mithus," which launched on October 17, 2024, announced its shutdown in April of the following year and officially closed its servers on July 14, having operated for less than a year. The high revenue of major studios and the failures of smaller ones paint a picture of two extremes in this market.

Meanwhile, long-established mobile games that have been catering to the female gaming market for years are also quietly evolving, with subsequent updates featuring increasingly bold character designs. This reflects a significant shift in women’s current expectations: no longer content with playing the role of the dependent or secondary partner in traditional romantic narratives, they are seeking to take the lead in relationships and establish a foundation of communication based on equality and mutual respect.

Shifting market demands have quietly raised the bar for creating games aimed at the female romance market. In the past, games only needed to provide companionship and respect while crafting various saccharine romantic experiences to capture players’ hearts; today, however, the story must not only tell a compelling love story but also incorporate power dynamics, allowing female players to truly feel a sense of self-assertion and control within the game.

Players’ choices also reflect this shifting demand. The otome buy-to-play game *The Moment the Moonlight Shines*, released in late 2025, raised 400,000 yuan through crowdfunding and sold nearly 80,000 copies at a price of 58 yuan, becoming a rare success story among buy-to-play otome games. Beyond its exceptional game quality, the adult-oriented content widely circulated within the community was the key to its massive popularity.By paying for this explicit expression of desire, players are essentially paying to find an outlet for their long-neglected needs.

At its core, desire is an instinct to break free from the constraints of rules. The viral success of *Under the Night* was never a coincidence. The game recognized this desire, moved beyond the “romance-centric” label, and sought to provide players with a space for growth and strategic maneuvering amid the power struggles of various factions.

This represents a breakthrough and step forward for the female-oriented gaming sector; regardless of how it ultimately performs, its very existence fills a gap in the market.