Square Enix is absorbing Tokyo RPG Factory, a studio that was dedicated to replicating the “golden age” of RPGs from the 90s.
According to Gamebiz.jp, Square Enix will acquire all of the rights and obligations of Tokyo RPG Factory, and the studio will effectively be dissolved. Tokyo RPG Factory was founded in 2014 and its internal structure relied on freelancers and volunteer staff from other departments within Square Enix. The studio released its first game, I Am Setsuna, in 2016, then followed up with Lost Sphear in 2017 and Oninaki in 2019.
Respectively, the three games were themed after the Japanese concept, “snow, moon, and flowers,” representing seasons of the year. After Oninaki’s release, Tokyo RPG Factory discussed what its fourth game would look like. Producer Takashi Tokita said that next time, he wanted to possibly create an edgier RPG and director Atsushi Hashimoto would welcome any new challenges.
In a recent investor call, Square Enix suggested it had been too reliant on creating mid-budget RPGs that failed to see commercial success, such as Harvestella and Valkryie Elysium, and that it would release fewer, more diverse games in the future.
In IGN’s Oninaki review, we said: “Oninaki is a gorgeous and entertaining, if slightly clunky, RPG that isn’t afraid to explore some heavy themes in novel ways.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
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