Azur Lane Getting Hiei and Kuroshio in the West

Publisher Yostar is continuing to showcase upcoming content for the English version of the shipgirl-focused mobile game Azur Lane. 

This time around we learn that we’re getting elite battlecruiser Hiei and rare destroyer Kuroshio.

They are part of the Return of the War God event alongside Mikasa, which launched in Japan and China over two years ago. At long last, western players will also get a chance to add them to their fleet.

Hiei in particular comes with good timing, as the wreckage of the real-world ship that inspired her was discovered earlier this year northwest of Savo Island in the Solomon Islands chain.

She was the first Japanese battleship to be lost against American forces in World War II.

Incidentally, we’re also getting her charming “Moonlit Cruise” skin. 

In other Azur Lane news, the Japanese servers are also getting the submarine U-110, but she’s unconfirmed for the west as of yet, since Yostar seems to be focusing on reruns and launching missing older events.

If you’re unfamiliar with Azur Lane, it’s a free-to-play mobile horizontal scrolling shooter/RPG hybrid currently available for iOS and Android.

If you are interested in console games as well, Compile Heart and Felistella just released a brand new Azur Lane game titled Azur Lane: Crosswave for PS4 in Japan. It’s coming in the west next year.

If you’d like to learn more, you can read our recent interview with Yostar’s director of operations.

If you’re curious about the game’s popularity in Japan, you can check out my report about the recent anniversary event that pretty much literally invaded Akihabara.