Gaming is Bigger and Better Than Ever at Anime NYC
With Anime NYC’s first year as a four-day convention and its second year as partners with PLAY.nyc, the event proved to connect everyone while exploring new ways to have fun. This year, the EnVi team had the chance to cover Anime NYC to give you the updates on the convention and the contributions they’ve made for gamers, otakus, and between.
PLAY.nyc’s Second Year in Hall 1B
The PLAY.nyc convention made its second appearance at Anime NYC this year in the 80,000 square foot gaming hall. This partnership allowed them to present PLAY.nyc to the convention for four days with 100,000 attendees, compared to their usual two-day convention with 4,000 attendees. Hall 1B of the Javits Center featured many indie game creators and their developing games, as well as well-known games and their developers, fostering a hub of bonding.
Whether you were there to learn or play some mahjong, compete with your friends in various fighting games, or dance to Dance Dance Revolution, PLAY.nyc was dedicated to finding its target audience this year. There were even tournaments happening during the early portions of each day, ranging from Super Smash Bros., Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear competitions, presented by CiTi Gaming. Moreover, they moved arcade games into PLAY.nyc’s area, allowing people to enjoy various games that are often found in Japan.
Bandai Namco’s Blue Protocol: Star Resonance playtest took place on the floor of the hall, allowing attendees to register and gain exclusive prizes for participating. The prior title, Blue Protocol, was set to release, but Bandai Namco shut down and cancelled the release after it was playable in Japan. However, they will now release Blue Protocol: Star Resonance as a revamped version of the game.
Playcrafting, the host of this portion of the convention, promotes the idea that indie games are the future of the video game industry. They showcased games that allow playtesting to occur before release, allowing small studios to gain an audience. Indie developers also gain expanded access to new audiences because the gaming hall continues to operate after the standard convention day ends at 7 p.m.. Visitors can explore until 10 pm, hours after the usual end time.
The EnVi team spoke with the leads from Cybrlich Studios to learn about their game in development.
CYBRLICH and the Death Cult of Labor
Cybrlich Studios presented their game CYBRLICH and the Death Cult of Labor, an adrenaline-fueled 2.5D FPS and boomer shooter that touches upon subject matter related to working in a corporate world. EnVi spoke to the lead animator and art director, Peter Larson Schmidt, and the lead programmer, Clipper, to gain more insight into their storytelling. The game offers playable content through story modes and waves in arena mode.
The game starts as you are approached with a job interview and presented with two options: sign the contract to work at Lichcorp and stay at your desk forever, or take the employee of the month sword. This is where the fun starts—carving your own path literally and metaphorically. You play a buff, meat-headed barbarian, and instead of going down into a dungeon, you climb up a corporate office tower in a cyberpunk future to take down the evil CEO, an oligarchic technocrat.
The inspiration for making this game, as Clipper explained, came from an interest in dark fantasy, cyberpunk, and satire-related genres. They wanted to combine those concepts to create a fun way to speak on corporate political issues that exist in the real world. Moreover, the game includes references to commonly mentioned sources of frustration and relief, something players may find cathartic.
Due to Schmidt’s experience in animation and art direction, the fluid animation relied on rigged and motion graphics with no AI involved. The art direction of the game, from the choice of colors like black and white to a punch of red, supports his vision aesthetically and helps make the game a self-evident declaration of creativity and adventure for attendees passing by.
Game Representation at Artist Alley
Anime NYC 2025 presented a larger host of artists and options that gamers could indulge their hard-earned money on. EnVi got to chat with artists representing different genres and mediums, highlighting the quality and diversity of work featured.
Here are some of EnVi’s favorite picks from Artist Alley:
One of the shops we visited during the weekend, and went back a couple of times due to their eye-catching design was Nattie. Their shop, Mallius, and their fan art for Final Fantasy XIV. Our favorite pieces from this shop were the intricately made enamel pins with double chains and glass drops that represented the different playable classes from the game. They even had bags with subtle patterns, incorporating fandom into everyday wear.
For all the fighting game lovers, we present to you Sharkteath and 5STARGOLD, featuring fan art inspired by franchises such as Guilty Gear, Yakuza, and Ace Attorney. EnVi spoke with the owners of the shop, Leon and Sinn Ros-Sibulkin, where we learned about their decision-making behind some of their sweaters. The Guilty Mart design, for example, takes inspiration from convenience stores with the twist of including all the characters from the Guilty Gear series. They expressed the importance of making their sweaters 100% cotton so they could last longer with multiple washes, ensuring high quality.
For the mythological action RPG players, Cypritree had digital laser artworks with bright and eye-catching colors from games such as Monster Hunter, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne, adding a nice touch to any gamer’s wall.
CoryxKenshin Makes an Appearance
Gaming YouTuber CoryxKenshin made his comeback online earlier this year after a 17-month hiatus. Back online and in person, he presented his manga series —Monsters We Make — at Anime NYC 2025. Set in a dystopian 2114, Volume One of the series became the fastest-selling independently published Original English-Language series with over 200,000 copies sold within the first week. Shortly after his appearance announcement, Saturday tickets sold out. Fans were able to line up on Saturday to meet Cory, discuss his new project, and ask about what’s next for the gamer and now writer.
EnVi’s Gaming Cosplay Picks
Once again, fans gathered at River Pavilion 4 for cosplay meet-ups, photoshoots, and content creation, creating unforgettable moments and forming lasting friendships while dressed in their favorite gaming attire.
Here are some of EnVi’s favorite cosplay picks:
A new appearance this year, Anime NYC 2025 presented two Riot Games-related meetups, League of Legends and Arcane cosplay events. Having two dedicated cosplay meetups during the same day allowed time to be spread between the skin lines from the game’s franchise, as well as characters from the show.
The host of the Square Enix meetup last year, Anderson Blitz, hosted this year too, taking over the larger area of the grounds for Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Nier: Automata.
Ace Attorney had an official meetup this year, drawing a larger audience of fans and cosplayers following last year’s event.
The Yakuza, Like a Dragon franchise came together on Sunday, following the release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii earlier this year. Many dressed up as well-known characters like Kiryu Kazuma, Majima Goro, and Goromi who couldn’t be missed.
Aside from iconic cosplay meetups, EnVi captured moments of the convention floor where cosplays left a showstopping impression on the crowd, including us. They may not have gotten a designated meet-up, but they represent an incredible range of franchises that filled the halls. We spotlight these cosplayers to celebrate their creativity while encouraging others to explore their own!
Joining In On the Fun
Whether you are an anime or game lover, we hope that this overview gave you a glimpse into what you can expect when attending next year! Anime NYC revealed on Instagram that next year’s convention will take place August 20-23, 2026. Keep up to date with guest reveals, event announcements, and updates on Anime NYC’s Instagram, X, and Facebook.
Want to read more about Anime NYC? Read our coverage of the convention’s 2024 gaming programming here!
