Revision history: Powercreep

Powercreep is the gradual outclassing of older characters by newer ones. Some drift is inherent to any live game that sells new units, but in gacha games it is a load-bearing economic force: each banner must be desirable enough to pull on, and raw power is the most legible form of desirability. [1]

The tension is between two failure modes. Creep too fast and past spending feels invalidated, which is the most common trigger for player-base revolts and refund pressure. Creep too slow and veterans stop pulling, since their existing roster clears everything. Games manage the middle with tools other than raw stats: new enemy mechanics that favor new kits, endgame modes rotated to spotlight recent releases, and buffs or new gear for older characters.

Powercreep interacts with every other economic mechanic on this wiki. It determines whether losing a 50/50 to an old standard-pool character is a consolation or a blank, how risky it is to skip a banner and wait for a rerun, and how much of a dupe system's value survives a year. Communities measure it constantly, though any specific "tier" judgment is opinion rather than fact, which is why GachaWiki documents the mechanics and leaves rankings to community sites; see the editorial policy.