Douluo Dalu: Shrek Academy opens pre-registrations in Russia and launches November 19

Douluo Dalu: Shrek Academy opens pre-registrations today in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States countries. The open-world MMORPG will arrive in the region on November 19, the company has announced.

The game is presented in Russian as Боевой Континент: Начало and can already be pre-registered from the official website and major app stores. With this launch, the Douluo Dalu franchise expands its international presence after having passed through China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The saga began as a novel in 2008 and has since grown into a universe spanning manga, anime, TV series and video games. All that material accumulated over the years now serves as the basis for each new adaptation to reach different markets with an already established story.

The anime paves the way in Russia

One of the data points that best explains this bet is the anime's performance in the region. The animated adaptation of Douluo Dalu has over 62.3 billion views accumulated worldwide, and on Russian platforms it holds a rating of 9.1 out of 10.

That audience that already knows the story is the game's first target. Douluo Dalu: Shrek Academy keeps the anime's visual style and brings back its most recognizable characters and settings, but proposes something different: instead of just watching the story, the player takes part in it.

From aspirant to god in an open world

The Russian campaign revolves around the slogan "you and I can become gods." The game presents the classic journey of starting out weak, overcoming obstacles and ending up a legend, a formula that connects with the original narrative of the soul masters.

The starting point is the awakening of the martial spirit. From there, the player progresses through the cultivation of spirit rings, skill improvement and combat trials. These are the most characteristic elements of the Douluo Dalu universe, and here they work as a visible progression system.

The title offers seven classes to choose from and battles with up to one hundred simultaneous players. As you advance, the challenges stop being individual and start depending on alliances between clans and factions, with sieges and large-scale wars between servers.

A track record that backs the expansion

This is not the first time the game has left China. In 2024 it launched in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, where it led the App Store's free download charts in all three territories during its debut. It also reached fourth place in sales in Hong Kong and seventh in Taiwan.

In Vietnam, the local version reached number one in App Store downloads during its first month and ninth in revenue. On Google Play it placed second in downloads and fifteenth in revenue. Those results serve as a reference for the arrival in the Russian market, which will have a specific adaptation to local tastes.