"Project Setsuna" was first announced during the E3 conference held last June. What Square Enix revealed then was that "new console project" will be handled by their newly-formed studio, Tokyo RPG Factory. Now, Square Enix's president Yosuke Matsuda revealed more information about the secret project.
In an interview with Weekly Famitsu, Matsuda said that the theme for "Project Setsuna" comes from the Japanese word "setsunasa." Interestingly, the word "Setsunasa" means "heartrending" or "sadly moving," Kotaku reported. This denotes that Square Enix's new RPG game will be about sadness.
Matsuda also mentioned that the team at Tokyo RPG Factory handling "Project Setsuna" is comprised of external developers and a number of freelance staff, stated Siliconera. The Square Enix boss also added that the development period for the new game will be short and the expected release date will in 2016.
Meanwhile, Twinfinite reported that "Project Setsuna" may become a trilogy, given Matsuda's "Law of Third Titles." The site mentioned that Matsuda may have hinted on this as he shared his thoughts about developing a new IP (Intellectual Property) and its franchise. During the Weekly Famitsu interview, the Square Enix president explained the importance and difficulty of creating a new IP. He observed that several games in the industry got their "big break at the third title." Although Matsuda also admitted that there are also cases wherein the opposite is true. Still, he insists that at least three games are needed before one can tell whether an IP is successful or not.
Matsuda added, "I call this my Law of Third Titles. That's why for the first and second games, you experiment to a degree where you can still be flexible, and if the series has grown enough to be able to expect a big hit for the third game, you expand the scale. If the third title is successful then all is well."
So far these are all the information available for "Project Setsuna." It is still unclear on which platforms the RPG game will be released, including its exact launch date. Curious RPG fans will have to wait for further announcements from Square Enix.
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