Sekiro’s Lead Designer Is Helming Armored Core VI’s Direction

Gamers wait for The Game Awards every year for many different reasons. Some want to see who gets the coveted Game of The Year while others want to see what new games are revealed at Gaming’s Oscars. Concerning the latter, the 2022 version of The Game Awards did not disappoint us as it had some major surprises.

Probably the biggest surprise of all was the announcement of Armored Core VI which has taken over the gaming world. But something fans will like even more is that Masaru Yamamura, the Lead Designer of Sekiro, is directing the game. If you know anything about how good Sekiro was, this is a big deal.

Major Takeaways

• Masaru Yamamura, the lead designer of Sekiro, is directing Armored Core VI. 
• He has taken over from the previous director Hidetaka Miyazaki, who stepped down.
• The game will use Soulsborne influences and release in 2023 with a mysterious substance at the story’s center.

A user on ResetEra found this out from the fact sheet released by Bandai Namco for Armored Core VI Fores of Rubicon. According to this, FormSoftware is developing the game as it has done since the first game. Yamamura is also going to oversee the game and direct it according to the document.

Interestingly, however, he wasn’t the initial director of the project according to the document. Hidetaka Miyazaki, the legendary director of the Dark Souls series, was the original director of Armored Core VI. But, Yamamura replaced him after a short while when Miyazaki stepped down according to the note.

A Soulsborne influence was always going to be there in the new Armored Core because of how big the series has become. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have become household names worldwide due to Dark Souls. But to see such a direct influence from the director and lead designer of the most recent games is exciting. 

Miyazaki also took a similar approach to Yamamura early in his career. He was working on Armored Core as a designer before moving to work on Dark Souls as a director. So, it’s like the mastermind behind the success of Elden Ring is passing down his torch.

The influence of games like Sekiro and Elden Ring is even mentioned in the fact sheet. It specifically mentions the Soulsborne series and how the knowledge gained from them will help develop Armored Core VI.

Based on the knowledge gained from developing the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware seek to deliever a new action game.

Therefore, you should expect to see some heavy Elden Ring and Sekiro influence in Armored Core VI. Fans probably won’t mind that at all as using elements from those titles can only be good. A Story Overview is also present and goes as follows:

A mysterious new substance was discovered on the remote planet, Rubicon 3. This substance caused a catastrophe that engulfed the planet and the surrounding stars in flames and storms. Almost half a century later, the same substance resurfaced on Rubicon 3. The player find themself in a struggle over the substance with extra-terrestrial corporations and other factions”

Hence, it seems like a Mcguffin is going to form the basis of Armored Core VI. It’s safe to say that this description and the development team on helm quoting Soulsborne influences have us excited. With a multiplayer mode also present, this is going to be one hell of a game. 

Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon will release in 2023, but no certain release date is official as of now. It will come out on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One (Smart Delivery), Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Hopefully, this release is sooner rather than later and we get to experience it early.