Developers MIA

[RedCoKid]

There are a number of Japanese development teams from whom I'd like to hear new projects but instead have been strangely silent--some for >1 yr.

Have these development teams disbanded?
- Namco's Venus & Braves team -
- GameArts (Lunar, Grandia: RIP. We loved you. ) - new game 2004
- Matrix Software (Dual Hearts) - Dragon Quest V PS2
- Pixel Arts (Sky Gunner) -

Starting to wonder:
- Sony's Ico team - Ico2/Nico
- CyberConnect2 (.hack, Tail Concerto) - Naruto

Ok, just finished up with their projects, but I'm impatient:
- Ubisoft's Michel Ancel team
- Nippon1

And of course I always follow Sega Wow/Red Co, who releases a new Sakura Taisen game every year like clockwork.

[Error]

I believe the Ico team is working on Nico.

[RedCoKid]

Yeah, there's just a half dozen leaked screenshots with no official comment about what those were. I'm bored. It's been a slow news month.

[Videodrone]

Don't worry about the ICO team. If Sony does pull the plug, I will pony-up the development cost myself

[Recap]

Lunar's original development team is Studio Alex (not related to the Grandia team) which I think it vanished. I thought the latest Sakura Taisen games are not developed by Red, they just license the franchise to Overworks.

[jarrod]

- GameArts (Lunar, Grandia: RIP. We loved you. )

There've been a few rumors over the past 2 years. Including...

-Grandia 3 (PS2)
-Grandia Xtreme 2 (PS2)
-Lunar 3 (PS2)
-Grandia Remake (GC)
-Pure Dragon (GBA)
-Lunar Spinoff (GBA)
-Grandia 3 & Lunar 3 (XBox)
-MMORPG (PS2)

...but nothing's surfaced since the Enix investment back in 2001. :/

- Sony's Dual Hearts team
- Sony's Sky Gunner team

Neither team is actually part of Sony, both are 3rd party developers. Matrix Software (Dual Hearts, Alundra) is helping with the Dragon Quest V PS2 remake. Pixel Arts (Skygunner) I've no idea.

Lunar's original development team is Studio Alex (not related to the Grandia team) which I think it vanished. I thought the latest Sakura Taisen games are not developed by Red, they just license the franchise to Overworks.

Studio Alex was a GameArts subsidiary set up to handle Lunar's cinematics alone. GameArts handled game development themselves, and a majority of the Mega CD Lunar guys worked on Grandia Saturn. I think a few of the key Lunar guys have left since then though.

Red Entertianment still does concept and design work on all Sakura Taisen games, with Sega doing coding and devlopment. That's the way it's been since day 1.

[Sqoon]

- CyberConnect2 (.hack, Tail Concerto)

After .hack wrapped, they started working on a Naruto game.

[Recap]

Studio Alex was a GameArts subsidiary set up to handle Lunar's cinematics alone. GameArts handled game development themselves, and a majority of the Mega CD Lunar guys worked on Grandia Saturn. I think a few of the key Lunar guys have left since then though.

So who developed the 32-bit versions of the Lunar games? I suppose it's not a Kadokawa in-house team!

[RedCoKid]

After .hack wrapped, they started working on a Naruto game.

That's right. I must've forgotten because I wasn't interested.

[jarrod]

So who developed the 32-bit versions of the Lunar games? I suppose it's not a Kadokawa in-house team!

Kadowkawa Shoten produced and Jam developed the remakes under GameArts supervision using their art/story assets. The only Lunar/Grandia games GameArts has done completetly inhouse were...

-Lunar: The Silver Star (Mega CD)
-Lunar: Eternal Blue (Mega CD)
-Lunar: Scrolling School (Game Gear)
-Grandia (Saturn, PlayStation)
-Grandia II (Dreamcast)
-Grandia Xtreme (PlayStation 2) co-developed with Enix

..and the following were licensed out...

-Lunar: Silver Star Story/Complete (Saturn, PlayStation) Jam
-Lunar:: Magic School (Saturn) Jam
-Lunar: Eternal Blue/Complete (Saturn, PlayStation) Jam
-Grandia: Parallel Trippers (Gameboy Color) Hudson
-Grandia II (PlayStation 2) some Korean firm I can't remember :/
-Lunar: Legend (Gameboy Advance) MediaRings

After .hack wrapped, they started working on a Naruto game.

Tail Concerto 2's also been rumored. Keep your fingers crossed.