Who Makes Gazing Moon? The Studio Behind the Game

With the massive hype surrounding Gazing Moon (望月), many players are asking: Who exactly is making this game? Is it a new indie team, or a veteran studio?

Here is the complete background on the developers behind one of the most anticipated anime open-world games of 2026.

The Developer: Shiyue Network (诗悦网络)

Gazing Moon is developed by Shiyue Network (Guangzhou Shiyue Information Technology Co., Ltd.), a Chinese game development company based in Guangzhou.

Early History

Founded several years ago, Shiyue Network initially made its name developing mid-core mobile games, primarily in the turn-based RPG and MMO genres for the domestic Chinese market. Some of their earlier titles, like Chang’an Fantasy (长安幻想), were highly profitable and provided the studio with significant financial backing.

The Shift to AAA Open-World

Despite their financial success with traditional mobile games, the leadership at Shiyue Network recognized the shifting market trends driven by games like Genshin Impact. They decided to reinvest their profits into a massive, ambitious project: a high-fidelity, 3D open-world Action RPG. That project became Gazing Moon.

The Dev Team: Xingchen Studio (星辰工作室)

To handle the immense scope of Gazing Moon, Shiyue Network established a dedicated internal team known as Xingchen Studio (which translates to “Stardust Studio” or “Star Studio”).

The 2025 Overhaul and Team Expansion

The development journey hasn’t been entirely smooth. In January 2025, the team held their first technical test (the “Shuoyue Test”). While players saw potential, the game was heavily criticized for feeling clunky, unpolished, and lacking a distinct identity compared to its competitors.

Instead of rushing to release, Shiyue Network made a bold decision: They practically started over.

• Massive Expansion: Following the 2025 test, the company poured massive resources into Xingchen Studio, expanding the development team to over 600 members.
• Talent Acquisition: They aggressively recruited veteran developers, artists, and combat designers from other top-tier Chinese gaming companies.
• The Result: The version of Gazing Moon shown in 2026 is the result of this massive overhaul. The combat was rebuilt from the ground up, the city of Tianyue was redesigned to be vastly more vertical and detailed, and the Moon Spirit system was deeply integrated into both combat and exploration.

Publisher and Global Operations

Currently, Shiyue Network is acting as both the developer and the primary publisher for Gazing Moon in China.

For the Global Release, it remains to be seen if they will self-publish globally (similar to Kuro Games with Wuthering Waves) or partner with an established international publisher (like Level Infinite or Nuverse). Given the scale of the project, they are likely building their own global publishing arm to handle the simultaneous worldwide launch expected in late 2026.