The staff at Rabbit & Bear Studios is continuous with the event of a brand new Eiyuden Chronicle sequel following the demise of sequence creator Yoshitaka Murayama.
The studio opened up about its future and what’s subsequent for the Eiyuden Chronicle sequence in a latest Reddit AMA performed with Studio Head and Character Designer Junko Kawano, Director and System Designer Osamu Komuta, and Artwork Director and Producer Junichi Murakami. With the discharge of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes solely days away, followers have been fast to ask about how the staff may proceed with out Murayama on the helm. Rabbit & Bear acknowledges the unlucky passing of their former studio head however hopes to hold his legacy into the long run.
“We’re transferring ahead with a sequel,” the studio stated. “It is rather unhappy that Murayama will not be with us anymore, however we’ve got mentioned many issues with him. I hope we can stick with it Murayama’s legacy, and I all the time need to treasure his final work. I hope many individuals will assist this recreation.”
How precisely the sequence might proceed is dependent upon many components, together with how Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will promote when it launches subsequent week. Rabbit & Bear says that it mentioned some prospects with Murayama earlier than he handed.
Respecting the Suikoden creator means staying true to a number of the design choices he made throughout Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ improvement. When one Reddit consumer prompt Rabbit & Bear implement extra choices to save lots of their progress, the studio defined how present the design sticks to Murayama’s imaginative and prescient. A restricted autosave characteristic was finally added in however solely as a result of the staff felt it might be included with out tweaking Murayama’s “idea of play.”
“Murayama all the time stated that taking part in RPG dungeons is a recreation of useful resource administration,” Rabbit & Bear stated, “and that he wished to create a stress degree by clearly separating ‘preparation,’ during which gamers put together gear and objects after they arrive in a brand new city, and ‘problem,’ during which gamers tackle new dungeons and enemies. The save level system permits saving solely at particular areas within the dungeon, thereby making a stress till you attain the save level, a satisfaction when reaching it, and a gradual reduction once you do attain it.”
Murayama’s passing was introduced on the Eiyuden Chronicle X/Twitter account earlier this 12 months. On the time, the social media web page revealed that the Rabbit & Bear head had handed on February 6, 2024, following problems with an ongoing sickness.
One consumer took the AMA as a possibility to not ask the staff a query however, as a substitute, go alongside their ideas and condolences following Murayama’s passing.
“Thanks very a lot, everybody,” Rabbit & Bear replied. “The unhappiness of our followers is being shared with the complete RB staff. We’re additionally one in all you.”
The studio additionally defined that it was proud to have introduced Murayama’s imaginative and prescient to life, occurring to share a number of the staff’s fondest reminiscences with him: “Irrespective of how unhealthy Murayama’s temper or his well being, he was all the time pleased and smiling as quickly as he noticed the enjoyment and pleasure of his followers. I do know that he cherished you all.”
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches for PC, Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Sequence X | S, in addition to Xbox Recreation Cross, on April 23.
Michael Cripe is a contract contributor with IGN. He began writing within the trade in 2017 and is finest identified for his work at retailers akin to The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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