2023 is almost upon us, and as is tradition, a number of Japanese developers have shared some of their plans for the next year with Famitsu and 4Gamer (thanks to Gematsu for the translation). Scroll down for updates from Square Enix, Konami, Capcom, Altus, Sonic Team, and more.
As we’ve already detailed, Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno promises an update on Dragon’s Dogma 2 in 2023 and Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto wants us to keep an eye out at Tokyo Game Show. Meanwhile, we should get a new look at Exoprimal soon.
“We will release new information [about Exoprimal] next spring, so please look forward to it!”
2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Shin Megami Tensei series, and Atlus seems to be teasing something new for the series.
“The Shin Megami Tensei series celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2022 thanks to the long-standing support of its many fans! Shin Megami Tensei V has achieved one million sales worldwide, and has caught many eyes in both Japan and overseas. In 2023, which will be the 31st anniversary, I hope be able to give something back to the fans as a thank-you.”
Longtime Konami producer Noriaki Okamura’s keyword for 2023 is “long-awaited.” Expect “many announcements” in the new year.
“2023 will be a year of many announcements! Stay tuned!”
Per Square Enix producer Tomoya Asano, 2023 is largely be a “year of preparation” for the company, but Yoshinori Kitase is promising more info on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
“As the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII continues to stir up the excitement I hope to be able to deliver an update on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth when the timing is right. Please look forward to it!”
Sega will be keeping busy, as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is promising to release “many titles” and Sonic Team is planning to continue the momentum they built in 2022.
“This past year was the biggest year in Sonic history, including the release of the movie sequel, new titles Sonic Origins and Sonic Frontiers, and the Netflix animation Sonic Prime. We are preparing a second wave to keep the fans happy and maintain that momentum going into 2023. We already announced additional content for Sonic Frontiers, but there is a lot more outside of that, so please look forward to it.”
SNK is working on a new Fatal Fury and other titles, but producer Kazuhiro Fujishige also teases they’re beginning work on a new AAA game.
“This year will mark the start of development on a new IP that carries the grand vision of ‘a AAA title from Japan.’ We are becoming a studio in which the strengths of our teams formed from our diverse pool of talent will be on full display!”
Koei Tecmo has many things on the go, including Wild Hearts and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but they’re also teasing Dynasty Warriors news and some sort of celebration of the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Nobunaga’s Ambition.
“As the Nobunaga’s Ambition series will reach its turning point 40th anniversary, I would like to make various preparations as to make it an even more exciting celebration with the fans!”
Castlevania/Bloodstained mastermind Koji Igarashi is planning to wrap up development of Bloodstained and move onto the next thing.
“I’d like to finish work on the remaining content for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. And that will lead us to the next step.”
Silent Hill co-creator Keiichiro Toyama’s new startup Bokeh Game Studio is close to completing development of their new horror game Slitterhead.
“Production on Bokeh Game Studio’s premiere title, Slitterhead, is nearing its climax.”
Finally, to wrap up, Shadow of the Colossus and Ico creator Fumito Ueda is planning to show us his next thing.
“All of GenDesign is working hard to be able to finally announce something, so please give us your support.”
This is just a small selection of the New Year’s messages from Japanese devs – you can check out the full list here.
What do you think? What projects from Japanese developers are you most eager to get your hands on in 2023? What kind of announcements might we see?
