Azur Lane has postponed the release and implementation of HMS Anson indefinitely due to “various circumstances”, according to their official Japanese account. However, the real cause is widely speculated to be players expressing dissatisfaction over her design.

Anson hails from the King George V-class of battleships, with her existing sisters depicted in game with more mature physiques and sporting prominent use of red in their designs. In contrast, Anson’s splash art shows a much more childish character with a shockingly blue palette compared to her sisters.

In response, players have questioned the lack of consistency in her design where Azur Lane and their developer Manjuu Games have previously paid a significant amount of attention to.

The official Japanese Twitter/X account have also taken down her announcement post and planned banners featuring the character with no announced release date. In the apology post, Azur Lane promises to improve the communications between development before posting such materials and will do their best to prevent such incidents from happening again.

【お詫び】
昨日掲載しました新規艦船の「アンソン」ですが、
諸事情により実装を見送りとさせていただきます。

来週開催予定の新規イベント・期間限定建造の調整後の詳細内容については、
今後掲載するメンテナンス通知にてお知らせいたします。

開発との各種連絡・掲載素材の確認フローを改善し、…

— アズールレーン公式 (@azurlane_staff) March 24, 2024

This incident would mark the first time the game has postponed a character’s release after a public announcement since its launch in 2017.

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Azur Lane

Publisher: Yostar Inc

Release Date: 2017-05-25

Android, iOS

An ideal Naval Warfare game like you always imagined！ ・A unique mix of RPG, 2D shooter and tactical genres combined in a beautifully designed anime game ・Easy and intuitive gameplay, built on the concept of 2D side-scroller, is the main feature of Azur Lane ・Organize up to six ships into flotilla, break through enemy gunfire and defeat them! ・Both AI and manually controlled battles are available, choose whatever you like! ・Build your own fleet. Azur Lane has a wide range of warships from all over the world. ・More than 300 ships, each with its unique stats and represented by a beautiful character! ・Live2D interaction technology is available for selected characters