Free max-ascension characters, previously paid skins handed out like candy — in the gacha gaming world, this kind of generosity is basically a neon sign flashing "this game is dying." Food Fantasy (食物语), once a beloved Chinese cuisine-themed waifu/idol game, is now bidding farewell to its players in what can only be described as end-of-life care.
Developed by Baitian (百田信息), Food Fantasy carved out a niche in the female-oriented mobile game market with its gorgeous Chinese-style character art and unique food personification concept. But years of controversial operations have tanked its reputation. Recently, players spotted something alarming in the game's official Lunar New Year event announcement.
According to the original poster, the Spring Festival event is absurdly generous: limited-time characters available just for logging in, immediately maxed out (full breakthrough/ascension). Even more telling, two protagonist skins that previously required cumulative top-ups (whale-tier spending) are now completely free. This isn't even the first time this version has given away max characters — the previous update did the exact same thing. Meanwhile, players are flooding the comments section demanding an official statement and an offline version to preserve the game's content.
In the first reply, someone posted what appears to be a leaked chat screenshot allegedly from a Baitian insider. The poster themselves admitted they "can't verify if it's real," but combined with the suspiciously generous event, the screenshot spread like wildfire across the community. While its authenticity remains unconfirmed, it has become Exhibit A in the community's case for an impending shutdown.
The original poster nailed the root cause: Baitian appears to be cannibalizing Food Fantasy's revenue to bankroll their new project, Aola Star 2 (奥拉星2). They also noted that another Baitian title, "Flower and Sword" (花亦山心之月), seems to have been handed off to Tencent — someone spotted its official account lurking around the Light and Night (光与夜之恋) community. Food Fantasy, on the other hand, has no savior in sight.
The comment section erupted. A top-voted reply read: "This game squeezed its players way too hard — textbook 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.' The art team was talented though. What a waste. Baitian can burn." Another user added they'd been "scammed by both Baitian's Oby Island and Food Fantasy" — double the betrayal, double the rage. Others simply stated Food Fantasy's reputation is so toxic that no publisher would want to touch it.
Not everyone was sympathetic though. Some replied with a blunt "good riddance" (好似, internet slang using a homophone for "good death"), blaming the game's planners for running it into the ground. One comment stood out: "Why feel sorry? Wasn't this the game that gave out that controversial 'wooden donkey' item?" The reply underneath clarified: "I'm only sad about the art. Some character illustrations were genuinely beautiful. But as someone who got burned by Food Fantasy, I'd never call it a good game."
When the topic turned to whether an offline version was possible, players dug into Baitian's track record. Ensemble Stars 1 (偶像梦幻祭1) did get an offline mode — but that game was still profitable. Cloud Song (云裳羽衣) achieved a "content freeze but servers stay up" victory after players mass-reported to China's consumer protection agency. But most remained pessimistic: "Spirit World and Star Path both died and nobody even noticed." Baitian has killed games before; getting an offline version is the exception, not the rule.
The most gut-wrenching comment came from a long-suffering Baitian veteran: "Scammed by Oby Island and Olar Light as a kid, scammed by Food Fantasy as an adult. The game had a million problems, but I still had some feelings for a few of those food spirit characters." They also revealed that Baitian previously axed Spiral Dance 1 (螺旋圆舞曲1) to make room for its sequel — Food Fantasy is just history repeating itself. The closing line? "If I ever play another Baitian game, call me a dog."
Food Fantasy's story is yet another case study in the mobile gaming industry's "milk it dry, then kill it" playbook. When a game's remaining monetization potential is exhausted, the developer guts it as a blood bag for the next project — and for Baitian, this seems to be standard operating procedure. There's been no official announcement yet, but between the suspiciously generous event and the community's collective despair, the writing is on the wall. As for that mythical offline version? Given Baitian's history, players might want to start making peace with the end — and maybe screenshot their favorite food spirits while they still can.
评论 (0)
暂无评论，来说两句吧！ 🍉