The first major details on Atlus new RPG project, currently known as “Project Re Fantasy“, have emerged from the newest issue of Weekly Famitsu. To begin with, it’s a classical fantasy RPG rather than an RPG set in a modern environment. There are three storyboard images included in this week’s magazine, each of which are symbolic of an idea: “bonds” represented by four people and a dog in a carriage, “journey” represented by an elf girl and human boy on a horse, and “creating new ideas based off of the past” represented by soldiers fighting a dragon; it is familiar fantasy imagery. The preview image released yesterday in fact only represents the atmosphere that Atlus are trying to capture, and doesn’t for certain represent someone that will be used in the final game itself. Here they are below:
Nevertheless, in the interview contained in this week’s Famitsu, Atlus maintains that it wants to be atypical and bold. Katsuro Hashino says that while Atlus has spent a great deal of time on games set in contemporary settings, he had hoped to create a game in Project Re Fantasy that could challenge genre conventions of gaming and fantasy, while also maintaining a distinct Atlus presence.
To the end of creating such a title, Studio Zero was formed. Featuring a boy on an adventure alongside a 0 (representative of the Fool tarot card), Studio Zero is a newly-formed (and still-growing) team comprised of such Atlus all-stars as Hashino, composer Shoji Meguro, and artist Shigenori Soejima, who drew the preview image above. Atlus CEO Naoto Hiraoka explains that the formation of Studio Zero comes at an opportune time, when some of the above mentioned talent from within the company are finally less occupied with projects such as Persona 5. Additionally, Hiraoka believes that everyone in the company wants to continue to test their limits and grow creatively outside of such staples as the Persona series, though he is quick to assure that such fan favorite titles will remain and that other new games are still to be announced.
The game is still early in development stages. There is no release window or console platform announced (though Hashino does mention that this upcoming title is designed with home console play in mind), and it’s been noted that plans for hiring at Atlus of Japan will increase after the upcoming Niconico stream for Project Re Fantasy.
As a reminder, the Niconico link for the upcoming stream is here. The broadcast is set for 8pm JST, tonight.
Credit to this Hokanko blog entry and this Hachima Kikou post. Translated information credit belongs to Gematsu. Image credits belong to this Twitter chain, which were included in the latest release of the Famitsu magazine.