Maximus Ko 
^ This is the Official Poster for the Grand Prix De Paris in 2025, it is one of most prestigious horse races in the world and Cygames is the main Sponser.
In February of 2021, Japan-based game studio Cygames released a title that would go on to redefine both its own legacy and the perception of an entire genre. While Cygames was far from an unknown name in the gaming industry—having worked on successful projects such as Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls for Bandai Namco and Dragon Quest Monsters for Square Enix, while also owning highly profitable IPs like Shadowverse and Granblue Fantasy—nothing quite matched the impact of what followed. After nearly three years of delays, Umamusume: Pretty Derby finally launched, and in doing so, propelled Cygames to the very top of the Japanese gaming market.
At its core, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a gacha game. Gacha games revolve around randomized summoning systems that allow players to obtain characters or items using in-game currency. While these games are often free to play, the currencies required for summoning are intentionally scarce, encouraging players to spend real money to improve their odds. This model has proven incredibly profitable, producing global hits such as Fate/Grand Order, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Azur Lane, and many others. Despite their financial success, gacha games often face criticism for predatory monetization and for appealing to a very narrow audience.
Traditionally, most gacha games are designed primarily for men in their 20s and 30s. This targeted marketing, combined with heavy fanservice and anime tropes, has created a stigma around the genre and the people who play it. As a result, many gacha games struggle to grow beyond their core demographic. This is where Umamusume stands apart—it avoids nearly all of these limitations.
To understand why, it is important to first examine how the game actually works. In Umamusume, players collect characters known as “horse girls,” each representing a real-life racehorse. The gameplay loop focuses on training a single character over a fixed number of turns, improving her stats, and entering her into races. Unlike most gacha games, characters do not exist indefinitely. Once a training cycle ends, the character retires, making room for a new one. Through an inheritance system, a portion of the retired character’s stats and abilities can be passed on, allowing future runs to become progressively stronger. This structure reframes success not as a single perfect run, but as steady long-term progression, encouraging patience and strategic planning rather than impulsive spending.
However, gameplay innovation alone does not fully explain Umamusume’s widespread appeal. The true key to its success lies in its cultural foundation. Horse racing is a massive industry in Japan, ranking as the country’s most popular sport and generating enormous revenue through betting, merchandise, and media coverage. Unlike in the United States or Europe, where horse racing is often overshadowed by other sports, it occupies a central place in Japanese popular culture.
Cygames capitalized on this by basing nearly every character in Umamusume on a real racehorse from the Japan Racing Association. These were not obscure animals, but legendary runners with long-established fanbases. Horses such as the “Idol Horse” Oguri Cap, “The Overlord at the Century’s End” T.M. Opera O, and “The Phantom Triple Crown” Agnes Tachyon were household names that had already generated millions in merchandise sales and media attention. By faithfully adapting these horses’ personalities, racing styles, and career histories into the game, Cygames ensured that Umamusume appealed not just to gamers, but to longtime racing fans as well.
^ Cygames was the main sponser for the 151st Kentucky Derby, the largest Horse Racing league in North America along with the Breeder’s Cup.
While this explains the game’s explosive success in Japan, Umamusume’s influence did not stop there. In June of 2025, Umamusume: Pretty Derby received its long-awaited global release—and the results were immediate. The game surged to the top of Steam’s charts, temporarily surpassing Counter-Strike and reaching a peak of 87,000 concurrent players. Even months after launch, it continues to maintain roughly 20,000 concurrent players and holds a 93% positive rating on the platform.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is the diversity of its audience. Umamusume has managed to attract players across nearly every demographic: boys and girls, teenagers, working adults, and even grandparents. Few games—gacha or otherwise—have ever managed to bridge generational and cultural gaps so effectively. In doing so, Umamusume shattered the barriers that have historically confined gacha games to niche communities.
Ultimately, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is more than just a successful mobile game. It represents a rare moment where thoughtful design, cultural awareness, and innovative systems aligned perfectly. By grounding itself in real-world history and reimagining the gacha model in a way that values long-term engagement over short-term gratification, Umamusume redefined what the genre could be—and proved that even the most stigmatized formats can reach a truly universal audience.
