A book by the Italian author Dante Alighieri from 1321 suddenly skyrockets in Japan. The writer and his work appear in an Anime game.
What kind of game is it? The game that has led to increased book sales is called Fate/Grand Order. It is a free mobile title with gacha mechanics, presented in anime style.
According to Gacha Revenue, the title achieved the eighth-best revenue in the gacha sector in May 2025. While it stands above Wuthering Waves, it is still far behind Love and Deepspace.
In the game, you are the Master and summon various characters as “Servants” to then have them battle monsters in turn-based fights. The summoned figures are typically depictions of real historical figures, including Gaius Julius Caesar, Lancelot, and Jeanne d’Arc.
Recently, there has been another celebrity from the real world that has led to increased book sales.
Gacha game boosts sales of a 700-year-old book
What does it have to do with book sales? Since March 2025, Dante Alighieri has been in the game. His complete story has been included in the gacha title since June 2025. It is based on the stories from Dante’s works in the real world.
Dante is in reality the author of the 700-year-old book “The Divine Comedy” and is mainly known as a poet and philosopher in history. Now he is also a stylish anime character that can be summoned in a gacha game.
The aforementioned book costs around €35, but it includes illustrations that are also used in the game. For example, the 9 circles of hell (Dante’s Inferno) are featured. It’s no surprise that fans of the anime game are digging even deeper into their pockets to buy the book.
What does Gacha mean?
A gacha game is a video game in which players spend in-game currency to obtain random virtual items such as characters, equipment, cards, or other bonuses. The in-game currency is purchased with real money. The name derives from Japanese gachapon machines, whose dispensed items are also based on luck.
How well is it selling now? As reported by the book publisher Kawade Shobo Shinsha on X, the complete edition of the work has been selling more than usual since the release of Dante’s story. Sales in Japan have increased by 130%, and the publisher even has to reprint copies.
Fate/Grand Order is, by the way, part of the Fate universe. There are several animes related to the franchise. Our MeinMMO author Esmeralda Eickemeyer finds the anime so good that she watches the series every year: An anime is so good that I watch it once a year, even though I already know it by heart
