Square Enix is taking over Tokyo RPG Factory, a studio dedicated to emulating the “golden age” of role-playing games from the 90s. According to information posted on Gamebiz.jp, Square Enix will acquire all rights and responsibilities associated with Tokyo RPG Factory, and the studio will be dissolved. Tokyo RPG Factory was founded in 2014, and its internal structure relied on freelancers and volunteer workers from other departments of Square Enix. The studio released its first game, I Am Setsuna, in 2016, followed by Lost Sphear in 2017 and Oninaki in 2019.
The three games were thematically inspired by the Japanese concept of “snow, moon, and flowers,” symbolizing the seasons. After the release of Oninaki, Tokyo RPG Factory discussed what their fourth production would look like. Producer Takashi Tokita said he wanted to create a more experimental role-playing game, and director Atsushi Hashimoto was willing to take on all new challenges.
During a recent investors’ meeting, Square Enix admitted that they had relied too heavily on producing mediocre RPGs that did not achieve commercial success, such as Harvestella and Valkyrie Elysium. Therefore, the company plans to release fewer but more diverse games in the future.
IGN stated in its review of Oninaki, “Oninaki is a beautiful and enjoyable, albeit slightly awkward, role-playing game that is not afraid to explore difficult themes in an innovative way.”
George Yang is an independent writer for IGN. Since 2019, he has been writing about the gaming industry and has collaborated with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety. When he’s not writing about video games, George enjoys playing them. Surprise! You can follow him on Twitter at @Yinyangfooey.
Gamebiz.jp announced that Square Enix is acquiring Tokyo RPG Factory, a studio specializing in emulating the “golden age” of role-playing games from the 90s. Square Enix will assume all rights and responsibilities related to Tokyo RPG Factory, and the studio will be dissolved. Tokyo RPG Factory was founded in 2014 and was a structure based on freelancers and volunteer workers from other departments of Square Enix. The studio released three games: I Am Setsuna in 2016, Lost Sphear in 2017, and Oninaki in 2019.
The studio’s games were inspired by the Japanese concept of “snow, moon, and flowers,” symbolizing the seasons. Producer Takashi Tokita revealed that they plan to create a more experimental role-playing game in the future, and director Atsushi Hashimoto is prepared to take on new challenges.
During a recent investors’ meeting, Square Enix acknowledged that they relied too heavily on producing mid-tier RPGs that did not achieve commercial success, such as Harvestella and Valkyrie Elysium. As a result, the company plans to release fewer but more diverse games in the future.
IGN’s review of Oninaki describes it as a beautiful and enjoyable, albeit somewhat clumsy, role-playing game that boldly explores difficult themes in an innovative way.
George Yang is an independent writer for IGN who has been writing about the gaming industry since 2019. He has also worked for other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety. When he’s not writing about video games, he plays them. You can follow him on Twitter at @Yinyangfooey.
Glossary:
– Square Enix: a Japanese company specializing in the production of computer games
– Tokyo RPG Factory: a studio specializing in the production of role-playing games
– RPG: abbreviation for “role-playing game”
– Golden Age: a period in which games experienced significant development and success, often referring to the 90s
– Freelancers: independent workers who undertake projects for various companies
– I Am Setsuna: a game released by Tokyo RPG Factory in 2016
– Lost Sphear: a game released by Tokyo RPG Factory in 2017
– Oninaki: a game released by Tokyo RPG Factory in 2019
– Mid-tier RPG: medium-quality role-playing game
– Harvestella: the name of a game released by Square Enix
– Valkyrie Elysium: the name of a game released by Square Enix
Related Links:
– Square Enix
– Tokyo RPG Factory
The source of the article is from the blog maestropasta.cz