Reisalin Stout from "Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout," a character who captivated players from her debut and became renowned for her "thicc thighs" in the ACG community, has always been a fan favorite. Now, a story-driven AI chat app, "RyzaChat: AI," has been announced, exciting many fans.
However, after pre-registered players gained access on the 24th, the game's monetization system quickly drew fire. Many players complained that they couldn't do anything beyond the tutorial without subscribing. An annual fee of 6,000 JPY for a measly 45 messages per month was seen as a blatant cash grab, prompting the developers to issue an explanation and sparking widespread discussion.
(Note: This game is currently only available for download in Japan)
The AI chat app "RyzaChat: AI - Craft Your Own Summer Dream Story with Ryza" (RyzaChat:AI ライザと創るあなただけのひと夏の夢物語, iOS/Android) is marketed as a free-scenario AI dialogue RPG set in the series' world.
Players can interact with Ryza via text input and choose between an "RPG Mode" to advance the story based on their mood, or a "Chat Mode" for casual daily conversations. Through dialogue, players can experience travel, alchemy, and battles. Of course, the most appealing feature is Ryza's voice system, letting players enjoy one-on-one time with her.
Upon its launch on the 24th, many players eagerly tried it out, only to find that immediately after the tutorial, a subscription prompt appeared. The annual fee of 6,000 JPY, while not exorbitant, only offers a skin and a paltry 15 chat messages every 10 days. To chat with Ryza further, players must pay, along with getting high-quality memory functions.
This left many players feeling pressured to pay right from the start. Although a three-day free trial is offered, the monetization pressure felt overwhelming. Players felt the free experience was too limited, making it almost impossible to continue interacting with the character without paying.
This situation quickly led to criticism among players, becoming a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter). 
Some players discovered that in the free state, they could only chat with Ryza twice during the tutorial before being forced to pay to continue. Complaints like "can't chat after the tutorial" and "it's hard to even say hello to Ryza daily" quickly emerged.
Following the backlash on its launch day, the official team issued a statement on the 25th. They explained that while pre-registration numbers exceeded expectations, they had already adjusted the original launch schedule to ensure a more stable chat experience with Ryza.
The app performs various AI processes in real-time, including dialogue generation and voice synthesis for Ryza. Running voice synthesis and AI processing in real-time demands high-performance computing devices, specifically GPUs. With the rapid spread of generative AI, the global demand for these high-performance GPUs has surged, making it difficult to acquire sufficient quantities in a short period.
The statement read: "To ensure that everyone can enjoy stable conversations with Ryza, even if the actual number of users exceeds our initial expectations, we have been working hard to acquire and expand additional GPU resources. We hope for your understanding."
However, players remain largely unsatisfied, feeling that the monetization design makes the game nearly unplayable. Without paying, there's almost no way to experience it, and the costs are too high, with annual or monthly subscriptions offering too few messages. Even fans of Ryza are finding it hard to justify.
While in-game purchases are expected, the inability to do almost anything without paying, and the lack of even a trial experience, explains why players are so upset with this approach. It remains to be seen how the official team will adjust, or if this highly anticipated AI chat mobile game will ultimately disappoint its players.