Control and Death Stranding publisher to release jRPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes by Suikoden
2020’s most funded Kickstarter game, RPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, from the creators of the classic Suikoden series, has found a publisher. Distribution and marketing were handled by 505 Games, which released Death Stranding, Control, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and Terraria.
“For many years, we have dreamed of creating a game for fans of the genre, which would reflect everything we love and what we have learned as game designers, ” said Yoshitaka Murayama, creator of Suikoden and head of Rabbit studio responsible for the development of Eiyuden Chronicle & Bear. “ Our team will work with 505 Games to ensure that as many fans around the world appreciate Eiyuden Chronicle as possible. […] Given the success of this company and its portfolio of games such as Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Death Stranding, as well as our strong personal relationships with its employees, we are confident that we have found the perfect partner. “
At Eiyuden Chronicle, the developers recreate elements of classic RPGs, Murayama said, but at the same time try to tell “a modern, exciting tale of discovery and adventure.” The game will continue the tradition of Suikoden: fans will find a story with many (more than a hundred) characters, a traditional turn-based combat system, and graphics using two-dimensional sprites (the backgrounds will be three-dimensional).
Murayama is the producer, development director, and chief scriptwriter of the project. The co-director was Osamu Komuta, Programmer for Suikoden IV and Lead Developer for Suikoden Tactics. The team also included Junko Kawano – producer, writer, designer, and artist for the two titled parts and lead designer of the original Suikoden – and Junichi Murakami, who worked on Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Some of the songs for the soundtrack will be written by Motoi Sakuraba, whose music can be heard in the Tales, Star Ocean, and Dark Souls series.
The Kickstarter campaign began in July 2020. The required amount (53.8 million yen – $ 509 thousand at the old exchange rate) was collected in the first hours. In August, the game became the third most successful game on the site with a result of 481 million yen (about $ 4.6 million) – bloodstained remained higher: Ritual of the Night ($ 5.5 million) and Shenmue III ($ 6.3 million). Eiyuden Chronicle was also the most sponsored game on Kickstarter in 2020 and of all-time among Japanese projects.
Eiyuden Chronicle is slated for release in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and S, as well as the most relevant Nintendo platform at the time.
