The team at Rabbit & Bear Studios is continuing to develop a new Eiyuden Chronicles sequel following the death of series author Yoshitaka Murayama.
The studio revealed its future and what's next for the Eiyuden Chronicles series in a recent publication. Reddit AMA was made with Recording Studio Head and Character Designer Junko Kawano, Director and systems designer Osamu Komuta, and Art Director and Producer Junichi Murakami. With Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes' release just days away, fans were quick to question how the team could continue without Murayama at the helm. Rabbit & Bear acknowledges the sad passing of their former label head but hopes to carry his legacy into the future.
“We're moving on to the next part,” studio he said. “It's sad that Murayama is no longer with us but we discussed many things with him. I hope we can continue Murayama's legacy and I always want to cherish his final work. I hope many people will support this game.”
Exactly how the series can continue depends on many factors, including how well Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will sell when it launches next week. Rabbit & Bear says it discussed several possibilities with Murayama before his death.
Respecting Suikoden's creator means following some of the design decisions he made during the development of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. When a Reddit user suggested Rabbit & Bear implement more options to maintain their progress, the studio explained how the current design fits Murayama's vision. A limited autosave feature was eventually added but only because the team felt it could be included without adjusting Murayama's “play concept”.
“Murayama always said that playing RPG dungeons is a game of resource management,” Rabbit & Bear he said, “and he wanted to create a level of tension by clearly separating 'preparation,' in which players prepare equipment and items when they arrive in a new town, and 'challenge,' in which Players face new dungeons and enemies. The save point system only allows saving in specific locations within the dungeon, thus creating tension until you reach the save point, the satisfaction of reaching that point, and the gradual feeling of relief when you get to that point.”
Murayama's passing was announced on the Eiyuden Chronicle X/Twitter account earlier this year. At the time, the social media site revealed that the Rabbit & Bear head passed away on February 6, 2024, following complications from a long illness.
One user took the AMA as an opportunity to not question the group but instead send their thoughts and condolences following Murayama's passing.
“Thank you so much everyone,” Rabbit & Bear replied. “The sadness of our fans is shared with the entire RB team. We are also one of you.”
Studio also explain that they are proud to have turned Murayama's vision into reality, continued to share some of the team's best memories with him: “No matter how bad Murayama's mood or health is, he is always happy and smiles as soon as he sees the joy and excitement of his fans. I know that he loves you all.”
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes Launches for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S, as well as Xbox Game Pass, on April 23.
Michael Cripe is a freelancer for IGN. He started in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets like The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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