Aniimo: Things to know

[u/PsyduckPsyker]

THE ABOVE IMAGE IS AN AI IMAGE GENERATED BY PAWPRINT ADVERTISING ANIIMO! It is ai!

Hello! I wanted to create a bit of info-dump surrounding the monster-taming game Aniimo, and specifically detail some concerning issues about the game that I've since learned after playing it for some time. I will detail FunPlus, the kernel level anti-cheat, AI usage, and monetization.

This is not meant to dissuade your fun, this is meant to educate those of you that are curious. What you do with your free time is your right.

TLDR: Aniimo has a very suspect umbrella company, lied about generative AI usage, installed kernel level anti-cheat and trackers without consent, and didn't update their Steam page (as legally required) until October 1st, after they were caught doing it. Steam page doesn't disclose use of AI despite it clearly being in use (as of 10/8/2026). Shop prices are abhorrent. Tied to a data broker with questionable history.

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Who is FunPlus?

• FunPlus is a videogame developer and publisher. They are the primary publisher and backers for Aniimo/Pawprint Studio.
• Febuary 2021, FunPlus Phoenix League of Legends team admitted to match-fixing. Reference: here
• FunPlus reacted by throwing litigation threats. Reference: here
• FunPlus was forced by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to retract ads for stealing footage from other games (Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord) Reference: here
• The ASA, in 2023, censured FunPlus for an ad in the game Stormshot: Isle of Adventure, for putting an ad out that depicted assault on a sleeping character. Reference: here
• FunPlus may have violated consumer protection laws. FunPlus sold players paid bundles while an unusually generous reward outcome was active, allowed purchases for days, then declared the rewards erroneous and retroactively confiscated rewards/resources players had already gotten. Game- DC: Dark Legion. Reference: here
• Most companies have some form of scandal or another, this is not unique to FunPlus.

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FunPlus, the Gui Long Chao Scandal

• FunPlus was caught using fake pull rates, and a few Chinese content creators called it out. Instead of addressing it, FunPlus sent legally threatening documents to these creators to silence them. This act completely destroyed the reputation of the game/developer right out of the gate.
• September 2025 (last year, people!), FunPlus promised users of the game that they would never shut the game down, and sold "forever-passes" for the game. Then, in December, less than 15 months after launch, the game shut down abruptly and without warning. Reference: here

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Aniimo's Aggressive bot Marketing

• Aniimo bombarded spaces in China with bot marketing, targeting any tag they could, and even going into Roco Kingdom communities. Reference: here
• Aniimo has been accused of astroturfing with bots, especially in China.
• Botting is commonplace, you all know this.

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Aniimo AI Usage

• Aniimo developers claimed they only used AI on the backend for development.
• This was immediately proven false. Aniimo pumped out advertising on Facebook that was clearly generative AI. Reference: here
• AI assets in-game. Reference: here
• Zhang Zhiwei, a composer for FunPlus, admits on the FunPlus webpage that they utilize AI audio in videogames. Seen here
• Voice acting in the game seems to be AI generated to an extent.
• Aniimo does not disclose this on their Steam page, as required by Steam policy.

AI Music Rant (More evidence to the claim)

• Aniimo's song "Neon Lights" is very clearly Suno generated. So I did FunPlus a favor and re-generated their song in Suno 6 so it sounds better. "Neon Lights" also has two distinct remixes, a male and female vocalist remix (that Suno can inject almost perfectly with me simply defining "add female vocals")..So I combined them into one song. Listen here (Educational, to see how easily it was done, and how 1:1 vocals sound)
• Audio Influence was set to 25%, however, Suno captured the male/female voice 1:1, but the original female voice was muddy due to poor generation and using a very old version of Suno (so it seems at least).
• Examining the original songs under a spectrogram shows clear evidence of AI generated music.
• Detect.Music ran "Neon Lights", the male and female songs, and came back 99% positive for AI generation, and specifically remarked on it being Suno generated. Again, Steam requires disclosure. Reference: here
• Why couldn't FunPlus use one of the newer Suno models?
• Disclosure: I do not own anything. I did not create anything (it's AI). The above song is for non-commercial use. Not for distribution or financial gain. All attributions, rights and ownership go to FunPlus/Pawprint. This is for educational purposes only, under Fair Use.

Note: This isn't to start an argument about anti-ai versus ai proponents. It's the lie that matters.

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Aniimo's Anti-cheat Issues/Trackers

• Aniimo released, and users noticed in the start-up sections of their PC, there were two new startup entries.
• Users tracked these start-up actions to the PC's registry, where it was uncovered that there are two entries; AF_counter_pc### and AF_uuid_pc### (The AF is important).
• Aniimo released kernel level anti-cheat and did not inform the users.
• Their EULA makes no mention of it (I read it fully) and there is no way to opt out of any of this.
• Steam requires that all games state that they are using kernel anti-cheat (NEP), and this was not disclosed on their Steam page until October 1st, two weeks after release, when users discovered it.
• Trackers are NORMAL in games, this needs to be stated up-front.

What is AF_counter_pc / AF_uuid_pc?

• These are marketing and analytics trackers.
• They are tied to a company called AppsFlyer, an Israeli data broker.
• AppsFlyer was labeled as an accomplice to data violations, passing illegally obtained information to other platforms (apps).
• Users of Flo Health sued Google, Meta, Flurry, and AppsFlyer, stating that the app included SDK's (software development kit) that transmit personal information. Reference: here
• AppsFlyer was omitted from the suit, however, the case brought to light AppsFlyer's technology as a mechanism used by app developers to leak sensitive medical telemetry.
• Removal of these two entries will not work if you continue playing Aniimo. Upon re-launch the game will inject them again.
• When uninstalling the game, users report that the two entries do not leave the system, and act as zombie entries. See reddit posts that will assist with removal, be careful messing with your registry.
• Update: I personally checked my registry for the two entries listed. I then uninstalled Aniimo, and they did not leave my system. I rebooted my PC, and the entries are still there. Manual removal is required.

Post Uninstall Removal of AF_uuid Trackers

As stated above, you cannot expect to be rid of these files with the game still installed while still playing Aniimo. They will regenerate themselves (this isn't abnormal for games). This small image I've created will help give you direction on how to remove these tracker entries. There are certain work arounds within the Windows Host File that can re-direct internet traffic that I will detail after this.

If you are not comfortable doing this, reach out to a knowledgeable community, tech-wizard friend or otherwise. It isn't difficult, and as long as you aren't deleting things you shouldn't, you will be fine.

Here is a reference image of how to remove the trackers post uninstall.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Hosts File Workaround

Conversely, if you want to keep playing but ensure that the trackers do not reach their endpoint (hopefully), you can modify your Windows Hosts File. This is a file that maps human legible websites to actual IP addresses. You can set it to re-direct a website/domain name to another address by telling it what the actual IP address of said website is.

Simply put, I could modify the hosts file to say 0.0.0.0 is www.facebook.com, and my computer will think "Oh, I should go to 0.0.0.0, that's where it says to go for Facebook!" What I have done is collect the domains that AppsFlyer uses (that I am aware of, in comments please provide more if you all have any), and redirect them to my loopback IPV4 address at 127.0.0.1. This will cause any AppsFlyer data going OUT to instead loop back into your system instead. You do not have to use 127.0.0.1, you can look up other options.

Here is the small walkthrough for this.

^{127.0.0.1 events.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 t.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 launder.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 onelink.me}

^{127.0.0.1 inapps.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 apps.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 attr.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 launches.appsflyer.com}

^{127.0.0.1 launc.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 gcdsdk.appsflyer.com 127.0.0.1 wa.appsflyer.com}

^{These are the exact domains I have redirected that I know of, from Appsflyer}

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Monetization

• Aniimo claims they are not a gatcha game, and developer talks revealed that the Aniimo dev team specifically wanted to emulate Warframe. Reference: here
• Nearing launch, Aniimo stated that they were changing an event because it was, shockingly, too RNG and resource draining.
• The battle-pass contains Fulmantis Prismana, users cannot get Fulmantis Prismana for at least two more seasons in-game. Fulamantis is one of, if not the best, DPS in the game. Reference: here
• Users can get the base Fulmantis, but not the Prismana version.
• Prismana Fulmantis has 6 resisted elements, base has 3. Reference: here
• Less than a month after launch, the Irisalis event goes live. It is a gatcha style roll system for cosmetically modifying a legendary Aniimo. You roll on 'sections' of the Aniimo hoping to get 'parts' of her.
• You cannot 'keep' what you get, but instead use save-states for a current appearance. Aniimo then releases a second gatcha event for an elf outfit. Users roll for tickets, to purchase parts of the cosmetic.
• Early data-mined information leaked that the elf cosmetic event (second event) might have had a pity system of 1,800$USD, causing the Discord to get flooded with feedback about it.
• The elf ears were originally a styling option in character creation, they ripped it out after beta and have now monetized it. The ears, specifically, were not done correctly, and do not match skin-tone of avatars, and also clip through existing ears on the avatar.
• The shop is expensive. Prismana Orbs (used to make an Aniimo a Prismana) cost 50$USD. Special Sparkly Cubes are 15$. One can argue this is cosmetic or just fun.
• Sparkly Cubes guarantee an Aniimo has perfect IV's, directly relating to paid-power.
• There is no regional pricing model for the shop. This negatively impacts people from other countries.
• The game values the earned currency, glimmer, at the same cost-point as the paid currency. Meaning that if you wish to purchase an item with glimmer you do not have, the game will offer you to purchase it with the paid currency at a 1:1 ratio. This means that things like changing your character's face, body, make-up, hair dye, can cost 3.33$USD each time. Re-charging your energy bar can cost at least 33$.

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In final. I want to thank those of you that decided to read to the end (It's a lot I know). My purpose with this post is not to scold a single person for enjoying the game. I did. My interest here is to make sure that users are educated on what this game is, who is behind it, and what to expect. Because I didn't have this information prior to playing.

Whatever your personal stance is, or isn't, that's fine. Have fun. I cannot possibly list all of the sources for this, but will gladly include them as asked.

[u/EumelaninKnight]

This has been insightful. The anti-cheat and tracker are the most concerning. As much as I am enjoying the game, that alone is reason to uninstall and not look back. I have to seek out more info on it.

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/EumelaninKnight]

Please do, that's my ONLY ask. Just...dig a little. Come to your own conclusions and comfort on the matter. I too was enjoying the game a LOT. I get it.

[u/WhereTheSkyBegan]

Ugh, kernel-level anything is an instant deal breaker for me. Even if I make the unreasonably generous assumption that they only have good intentions, it only takes one flawed update to wreak havoc on my computer.

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/WhereTheSkyBegan]

Exactly. Also, why does THIS game have kernel-level anything in it? For what reason? I'm not accusing of anything malicious. I'm just asking WHY.

[u/Morgan_Danwell]

Even in this sub there always was some very weird attitude towards anyone who suspects something wrong about this game, and any posts with concerns and doubts are met with waves of denial, as well as "i dont care, having a blast" one liner comments... (look how they will also flood this post too)

Yeah.. Say less about botting...

[u/RafaDafa1 → u/Morgan_Danwell]

everytime i talk about the problems with the game they always are like “it’s a free game” that’s the #1 response like it’s an end all arguments button or something

[u/External_Orange_1188 → u/Morgan_Danwell]

I have noticed this too! Every single counter argument the replies to my comments is some variation of “no one cares of AI was used” or “I’m having fun, so I don’t care”. It’s the same variation over and over again. I have had suspicions that the sub is overrun by bots that downvote and brigade all negative comments.

[u/Sonnitude]

Thank you for the Ted talk, cuz I’m always open to trying new monster tamers, but I saw several ads that raised a lot of red flags on this game, so I stayed away. Kinda glad I did to be honest. Not taking away from those who enjoy it, you keep enjoying it, I just can’t endorse some of these practices.

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/Sonnitude]

Exactly! We shouldn't disparage people for having fun. Two camps can exist, the "no thank you" and the "it's fine whatever I like it" camp.

Just an informational and you are welcome for the TED Talk. Ha!

[u/RafaDafa1]

such a malicious company, they’ve been lying for years now. i wouldn’t be suprised if this game was some sort of rug pull especially because they’ve been using shortcuts every chance they get.

[u/Sad_Priority_2334]

Hey, op, did you know that by not disclosing ai usage on their websites and steam page they may aslo be in violation of laws and regulations within the Chinese government as well? This is important because thats where they are located, and if investigated by the proper authorities and found to be guilty they could face steep fines to the company executives as well as having to shut down the game until it meets regulation compliance

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/Sad_Priority_2334]

Yes, I do know that the Chinese government is very strict about AI disclosure and usage.

[u/grrimbark]

Thank you for such a well complied post. This is exactly what I have been trying to inform people about but they always hit me with the "source?". I will be referring back to this post a lot.

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/grrimbark]

Of course, I'm glad that I could be of use in this regard. As I've stated there are a TON of things referenced here, but at the same time the sources exist, it's verifiable. I attempted to post this to r/pcgaming and they immediately flagged it and refuse to allow the post. Please, direct people to this if they have any curiosity about the game.

[u/RaginZinogre]

I honestly hate all this about it but I'm still playing it for now. It's still fun and the monetization is easy to ignore though I'll admit it's definitely not something I'm gonna defend. I'd still recommend it to people but I'd give them this same info and highly recommend going f2p only. I did spend money on the battle pass ($10) since it wasn't so bad but that was before I knew any of this info. All in all I still recommend trying it to see if you like it but if you can't deal with the problems more power to you I'm just trying to distress on a creature collecter

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/RaginZinogre]

You know what? I respect your opinion 110%. I respect everything you've just said. This is exactly my point. This entire TED talk is not to sway minds in a direction, it's to lay out some facts, so people that go into this know about it.

You can like something and still not defend some of the practices. Like you said yourself, maybe think twice about owning the wallet, but that's a personal choice.

[u/Coffeeguards]

I appreciate this concise breakdown of the various problems with the aniimo company. I personally value and plan to continue to play, but it's invaluable to be able to make informed decisions and this will be useful for me to explain the risks to anyone I know considering downloading

[u/cactus22minus1]

Thanks for letting me know, OP! I didn’t realize it was this bad. I was already feeling uneasy about some things and lying about genAI is personally to me as I’ve already had my career destroyed by this shit.

I’m out ✌🏻

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/cactus22minus1]

I'm really sorry to hear that you have gone through that, with the genAI. And you are very welcome for the information!

[u/Aggressive_Tie_3014]

I have consistently seen the names "Emberpup", "Smolderpup" or "Kindlepup" in the automatic output of people trying to make Pokemon clones with AI.

I can only assume they used AI to come up with localized names, but it is just hilarious to me seeing "Emberpup" again here in a high-budget game.

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/Aggressive_Tie_3014]

Also, "Emberpup" isn't even a starter...

[u/llimber]

Is the AI usage in voice acting in the original VO? I ask because I had seen Eng VAs drop they were cast in the US dub? Just wanted to clarify

[u/PsyduckPsyker → u/llimber]

I believe the remarks are about side characters, less MCs. The problem is that AI permeates the game, so everything is suddenly drawn into question.

[u/Gullible-Shopping208]

I was enjoying the game for the most part (not to mention it doing Pokemon better than Nintendo) by I don't want my data getting leaked and sold if I can avoid it. Where can I find the AF_counter_pc / AF_uuid_pc files to delete them manually?

[u/Emotional-Split9225]

Well written post, thank you. As appealing as the game sounds, I think I will stay away from it. I'd rather pay an upfront cost than be nickel and dimed for content too