Armed Fantasia Developers Rejected By Sony Multiple Times

Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness is an upcoming JRPG targeting the 90s old-school vibes. The game perfectly amalgamates the olden and new mechanics to create an alluring sense of adventure. Venture through eventful dungeons using your wits and explore an intricately crafted world never seen before.

Armed Fantasia incorporates a twist on the turn-based battle system. The fights will feature quick-tempo integration thanks to the Cross Order Tactics system. Alteration with “Anomalies” will effectively capture a feel of high tension and suspense in the air in these fast-paced, high-octane, and sweat-inducing battles.

Major Takeaway:

• Akifumi Kaneko, the lead game designer, appeared in an interview with Gematsu, where he answered a multitude of questions regarding Armed Fantasia.
• The JRPG game was declined to be published by Sony multiple times.

The Western-styled Japanese JRPG is being developed by WILD BUNCH Productions, the studio behind Wild Arms. The lead game designer, Akifumi Kaneko, recently partook in an interview with Gematsu following the success of Kickstarter funding. Akifumi cleared multiple questions regarding the game and discussed the hurdles faced during development.

During the interview, Akifumi was asked about the popularity of JRPGs nowadays; he answered, “Of course there are still very popular JRPGs like Persona 5, but with Persona 5 that’s the fifth installment. If it’s a part of series that already has a first game, it’s alright,” 

He continued, “but when it comes to making a new JRPG, Japanese publishers just won’t take the risk. In my case, I went to Sony over and over again, but nothing came of it. It’s not so much that JRPGs aren’t popular, its that publishers won’t let us make them.” 

Akifumi was declined by Sony multiple times resulting in Armed Fantasia not being published under Sony. Thankfully, the disapprovals have not harmed the developers, and the game is coming along nicely. Armed Fantasia has received immense support from the community, who opted to fund Kickstarter.

Akifumi also discussed the pros and cons of working under a publisher, stating, “Under a publisher, making a fun and interesting game is of course the most important. Publishers will do research to see what people want or if what they’re making is good or not,”

He continued by discussing the benefits of working without a publisher, “whereas with Kickstarter, without going through another company we can ask customers directly ‘What kind of game do you want us to make?’ and ‘What do you think about this?’” Having no publisher reportedly makes the selection of the game’s direction more flexible and in line with the imagined product.

The interview also answered fables surrounding Armed Fantasia. According to Akifumi, new players can expect to fully enjoy the experience. Playing Wild Arms is not a necessity as they are not related in any way like some fans expected in the past.

Akifumi elaborated, “First of all, Armed Fantasia is a completely different game than Wild Arms. There will be a compelling story as always, but the story and characters and such will be different than those from Wild Arms so anyone who hasn’t played Wild Arms will be able to enjoy this game.”

The lead designer also talks about the open-world approach of Armed Fantasia, “On top of that, it will be an open-world like experience where you explore all over the place. Also if you’re a fan of anime you’ll find fun in that as well.” Moreover, the open world is more extensive and detailed than Wild Arms 4. 

Akifumi cited, “The main thing is having a larger world map and having people be able to explore it by doing different actions like jumping, using gadgets, solving puzzles, and so on. In the past it was more going from point A to point B, so we want players to be able to interact with the world more.”

What are your thoughts about Sony declining to publish Armed Fantasia on various occasions? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

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