NetEase’s ANANTA Trailer Raises Eyebrows in Comparison to GTA and Spiderman

Chinese developer NetEase has unveiled a new gameplay trailer for its upcoming “urban open-world RPG” ANANTA, a free-to-play title that has already pulled in more than 11 million pre-registrations worldwide. Despite not having a release date yet, the game is quickly turning heads, both for its ambitious design and for the controversies it has stirred.

What is ANANTA bringing to the table?

At its core, ANANTA aims to combine Grand Theft Auto-style freedom with anime-inspired aesthetics, topped off with flashy superhero-like movement mechanics.

The recent trailer highlighted neon-lit cityscapes, chaotic side activities, and even first-person driving sequences that made fans immediately compare it to Rockstar’s open-world chaos, but with a glossy anime twist.

In fact, the game’s sheer mix of AAA presentation, supernatural agents, and stylish anime visuals has made it look like one of the most ambitious free-to-play titles in recent memory.

No gacha system? Here’s how monetization works

With its anime art style, many assumed ANANTA would follow the same path as Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, relying heavily on a gacha system. However, according to Famitsu, NetEase has confirmed that the game will not feature gacha mechanics.

Instead, players will unlock all characters for free through story progression, while monetization will focus on cosmetic microtransactions. That means you’ll be paying for optional outfits, flashy vehicle skins, and home customization, not characters or power boosts.

Did ANANTA copy Spider-Man’s swinging animations?

The trailer wasn’t just making headlines for its gameplay variety. Around the 6:14 mark, a sequence of skyscraper-swinging sparked immediate comparisons to Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2.

Fans on social media joked that ANANTA had “copied Spider-Man’s homework,” with some even claiming the animations looked frame-for-frame identical to Marvel’s iconic web-slinging.

One viral post read: “How do these gacha games get away with straight up ripping off Spider-Man? These are literally Spider-Man 2 animations.”

Other viewers pointed out similarities to GTA V’s character-switch animations, piling onto the discussion with memes about Marvel, Sony, and Insomniac lawyers.

While most of the reaction has been playful, the accusations hit a nerve in an industry where copyright disputes are becoming more common. For context, Sony recently filed a lawsuit against Tencent over claims that its upcoming Horizon-like project was a “slavish clone.” If publishers are willing to pursue legal action against lookalikes, questions about ANANTA’s animations may not stay just internet jokes.

Watch the full trailer below: