Just like my life
“Project Setsuna,” an “all-new console project” that’s in development from a brand new studio called Tokyo RPG Factory, was a footnote at Square Enix’s E3 press conference. Project name, concept art, studio. That’s all we knew.
Company president Yosuke Matsuda offered Famitsu some extra scraps of information on the 2016 release. Apparently, its theme is “sadness.” Speculation on my part: it stars Tom Waits. Matsuda noted that Tokyo RPG Factory is staffed largely by external developers and freelancers.
Development will be quick, what with the 2016 release, and its reception will factor into whether or not Square continues to develop the new IP.
“While it’s important to foster new IP, it’s difficult to turn them into big IP, looking at the game industry right now, many games take the form of a trilogy. In that sense, we won’t know until we make at least three titles [within that IP] whether or not it will continue to grow. They’ll be small-scale challenges up until the second title, and if it grows to the point where we expect the third title to be a big hit, then we’ll increase the scale. If the third title is successful, then we’ll have nothing to worry about.”
Oof. Yeah, guess no one wants to make good one-off projects. We’re in the era of the “franchise.”
スクエニ新規IP『Project SETSUNA』は“切なさ”がテーマのRPGで2016年リリース予定！松田社長「ビッグIPに育てていきたい」 [Games Talk]