Key Highlights:
- Honkai Nexus Anima has already sent out test invites.
- The game has a lot in common with Pokémon, and could land itself in legal trouble with respect to recent Nintendo patents.
- Despite this, the chances of Nintendo securing a victory appear slim.
Honkai Nexus Anima has been one of the more highly anticipated titles from developer HoYoverse. The game clearly draws in a ton of inspiration from the likes of Pokémon, and has players collecting and taming mystical pets across the game world.
While this innocuous representation can be best described as fan service and a way for companies to make fan creations of already existing IPs, Nintendo doesn’t seem to take it the same way. After their recent stint with Palworld, Nintendo might be aiming its guns at HoYoverse next, which is going to cause a lot of trouble.
Honkai Nexus Anima Is Sending Out Test Invites
Players have already been sent out invites for Honkai Nexus Anima’s upcoming beta test. This particular closed beta test (CBT) phase has a limited number of available seats, so chances of getting into the same are quite slim.
Now Notifying Nexus Bond Testers of Access
— Honkai: Nexus Anima (@HonkaiNA) September 15, 2025
We will begin notifying Nexus Bond Testers that they have been granted access starting from Sep 15th at 10:00 (UTC +8). Please check the email you provided during pre-registration to see if you received one.
You can also check whether… pic.twitter.com/0tlCjUhaai
That being said, you can double check for your invite by following the steps below:
- Head to the official Honkai Nexus Anima CBT test URL.
- Click on the Green ‘Check Test Access’ box.
- You will be prompted to log in using your HoYoverse account.
- Enter your username/email and password to proceed. Make sure to solve the puzzle captcha that appears.
- Click on the ‘Check Test Access’ button once again.
Assuming that you have been selected, the box should display something similar to a congratulatory message. Make sure to check your email for additional information.
If you didn’t make it, there’s no need to worry since you can always apply for future CBT programmes.
Nintendo Might Not Be So Merciful against HoYoverse
As discussed here, HoYoverse’s in-game mechanic involving mounts could potentially turn out to be quite problematic in nature. After all, it directly infringes upon Nintendo’s patent of the same.
This could bring unwarranted trouble for HoYoverse. Nintendo is known for not taking such issues lightly, as demonstrated when they took Palworld to court for their use of Pokémon inspired mechanics and characters.
Also Read: Steam Doesn’t Want Games With Mature Themes in Early Access Anymore
That being said, the game is still in beta, and HoYoverse could make sufficient changes to it at the last minute, thereby avoiding Nintendo’s patent dispute entirely. However, this is very unlikely to happen given Nintendo’s past behavior.
Expect Nintendo to go full guns blazing on HoYoverse, as soon as it gets wind of any system that it deems a threat to its existing IPs.
It’s Hard to Say Which Side Might Win
In the case of Palworld, Nintendo had the upper hand. That is to say, a ton of lawyers and resources to back them up, especially when compared to developer Pocketpair, who is nowhere near as well established in the industry.
Things will most certainly be different with HoYoverse, who commands a large section of the mobile gaming market, in terms of both revenue and player count. Which is a lot of words to say that HoYoverse can afford the legal, uphill battle against Nintendo.
In fact, Nintendo might not be at an advantage here at all. After all, the company’s ongoing dispute against Pocketpair has been heavily scrutinized by the public, with many pointing toward their rather strange decision to change their patents mid-lawsuit, which borders on being malicious.
Combined with HoYoverse’s massive backing of the Chinese and global mobile gaming market (and access to virtually limitless revenue), and this might not be a fight Nintendo could emerge victorious from.
Only time will tell though, and hopefully both parties can come to a solution that involves the removal of needless, malicious patents.
