Dynasty Warriors maker reveals unmade sequel and Star Wars dreams

It’s uncommon {that a} online game sequence turns into so well-liked it conjures up copycats – however it’s rarer nonetheless that it is so distinctive it kicks off its personal style.

However that is what occurred with Dynasty Warriors, a sequence which pioneered the so-called “1 vs 1,000” gameplay, by which the participant defeats hundreds of enemies in every degree.

All through years of improvement – the sequence has been going since 1997 on the unique PlayStation – {hardware} limitations meant at its finest only some hundred enemies might seem on-screen at anyone time.

However all that’s now altering, with the ability of recent consoles enabling as many as 10,000 opponents on-screen directly.

In different phrases, the “1 vs 1,000” moniker is lastly coming true.

And with that new energy comes a brand new recreation – after seven years within the wilderness, writer Koei Tecmo is again with Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

All through this era the sequence has confronted an issue – regardless of promoting 21 million copies all through its historical past – Dynasty Warriors has all the time bought considerably higher in Japan than within the West.

“It is one thing that we have been attempting to get lots of people abroad to play,” the pinnacle of developer Omega Drive, Tomohiko Sho, instructed the BBC.

However occasions could also be altering, as the discharge of Dynasty Warriors: Origins in January 2025 has seen encouraging gross sales.

Within the UK, it broke the highest 10 of the retail gross sales charts, whereas on-line it was the top-selling recreation on PC retailer Steam – with slightly below 70,000 folks enjoying the sport on the similar time on launch.

There have been 9 numbered entries within the sequence because it started in 1997, culminating in 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

However advances in {hardware} imply Mr Sho believes now could be the time for a sequel.

Although he didn’t name it a reboot, the crew has ditched the numbered titles and easily referred to as the sport Dynasty Warriors: Origins – maybe signalling that the studio believes this can be a turning level for the franchise.

It launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X/S and PC in January 2025, changing into the primary mainline entry within the sequence in seven years.

Mr Sho instructed the BBC the crew had been engaged on a sequel – which might have been referred to as Dynasty Warriors 10 – however he felt it was just too just like earlier video games, which followers had been “beginning to get a bit bored of”.

As a substitute, the long-awaited recreation was scrapped with the intention to benefit from the brand new {hardware}.

The rationale Dynasty Warriors: Origins seeks to interrupt away from what got here earlier than is straightforward, Mr Sho stated – it was a results of fan response to the final mainline recreation launched within the sequence, 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9.

“Both you actually preferred it, otherwise you did not,” he stated.

The unreleased sequel was too just like what got here earlier than, he stated, however by the point improvement was in full swing, a change within the video games business in the end halted manufacturing.

Inside two days of one another in November 2020, Sony launched the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft launched the Xbox Collection X – consoles so highly effective Mr Sho ceased improvement to deal with the brand new {hardware}.

“The present expertise permits us to have many troops and military officers on the display screen,” he stated.

“That is one thing I have been desirous to do since Dynasty Warriors 2 and three.”

These two video games, which launched on PlayStation 2 again in 2000 and 2001, might at most handle twenty or thirty enemies on-screen directly.

The brand new {hardware} can handle much more – with PlayStation 5 Professional house owners seeing an excellent greater leap in efficiency.

“We’re capable of have many troops on-screen – not simply hundreds, however tens of hundreds,” Mr Sho stated.

“With the present era of consoles, we’re ready to do this.”

However all that energy comes with a price – no multiplayer, which has been a staple of the sequence since its PlayStation 2 days.

“I’m very conscious that it’s seen as an iconic a part of the sequence,” he stated.

He felt multiplayer would lead to a “efficiency loss”, that means fewer enemies on display screen, so he determined in opposition to together with it.

However he stated which will change if the sport got a sequel.

“If everybody actually enjoys the sport, then for the subsequent recreation within the sequence, we will certainly have multiplayer,” he stated.

Within the interim years between the discharge of Dynasty Warriors 9 and Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the crew has focussed on different issues – specifically spin-offs.

These are variations of the sport, throughout the 1 vs 1,000 style, exterior of the principle sequence that usually function completely different characters – very like how the movie franchise Puss in Boots was a spin-off of Shrek.

The corporate has discovered success on this space with video games that includes characters from sequence equivalent to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda and Sega’s Persona 5.

Mr Sho stated Dynasty Warriors: Origins was a shift in route because it targeted on efficiency – whereas spin-offs had been about being true to the franchises concerned.

“When the groups had been approaching improvement, they weren’t eager about the {hardware},” he stated.

“However extra, with Hyrule Warriors and Fireplace Emblem Warriors being on the Change, how would we be capable to try this finest as a Warriors recreation?”

He stated Dynasty Warriors’ future was about “getting probably the most” out of present consoles – maybe with much more enemies on display screen.

Although he laughed off the suggestion that maybe the studio ought to think about collaborating on the final word “spin-off” – a Sonic the Hedgehog recreation.

“I additionally really like Sonic, simply to let you recognize,” he stated.

And Mr Sho stated if he might make any Dynasty Warriors spin-off, there are two sequence he is big followers of – Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

“If there’s a probability, I might undoubtedly like to tackle the problem,” he stated.