“Please, no matter who finally ends up getting killed, do not ship me hate mail” – Kazutaka Kodaka and Shohei Sakakibara on Danganronpa 2×2


Throughout Anime Expo, we as soon as once more had the prospect to sit down down with Spike Chunsoft to speak about a few of their upcoming releases; this yr, because it so occurred, coincided with a brand new set of information launched for Danganronpa 2×2, and as such we had the prospect to talk with the collection’ creator Kazutaka Kodaka, in addition to producer at Spike Chunsoft Shohei Sakakibara. We had the chance to debate what’s new with the remake, what is exclusive to the extra situation, and extra.

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[Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted the day after Spike Chunsoft’s Anime Expo panel]

RPG Website: Yesterday, you had your panel the place you mentioned Danganronpa 2×2 – it looks as if the reception was very optimistic. How do you’re feeling about coming again to Anime Expo to showcase a brand new Danganronpa title, and the way do you’re feeling concerning the followers’ response up to now?

Shohei Sakakibara: We introduced the discharge timing of Early 2027 throughout the panel, and we actually respect that the followers reacted fairly positively – we felt actually welcomed.

Kazutaka Kodaka: Like, man, have a look at all these followers!

RPG Website: Latching onto that, from a private standpoint it seems like Danganronpa has a standing and a historical past with Anime Expo as a complete – as a constantly standard IP. How does you’re feeling about that?

Kodaka: I got here to AX for the primary time twelve years in the past. Again then, Danganronpa was an excellent area of interest title, however by the point V3 had launched 10 years in the past there have been so many extra individuals who knew about and appreciated the collection. I strongly consider it was the phrase of mouth from the followers that unfold the phrase to new gamers; I respect these followers.


RPG Website: Yesterday on the panel, you lastly revealed some details about the second situation included in 2×2. Are you able to share some insights into the way it ended up longer than the unique situation?

Kodaka: Beginning with the very first Danganronpa, as we continued the collection the situation for every sport continued to get longer. For 2×2, we saved writing and writing – and earlier than we knew it, instantly it was tremendous lengthy. The opposite factor is, all of the instances and culprits are completely different from the unique. In order we wrote the situation, becoming all of it in place simply took longer.

RPG Website: As revealed on the panel, the staff considers the Slayhem situation to be the primary focus of the undertaking. Was there ever a degree throughout improvement the place it was ever thought of simply releasing the brand new situation, slightly than the unique and the brand new situation in a single package deal? How did the logistics of that come about?

Sakakibara: It was determined from the very starting – from the strategy planning stage – that there was going to be the higher, revamped model of the unique mode, after which on prime of which have a special mode the place all the things was modified. These have been a part of the talks, even method again then.


RPG Website: One factor that is left unsaid, however makes quite a lot of sense when you consider it, is {that a} ton of Danganronpa character’s recognition comes from what occurs to them within the story. Do you suppose there will likely be some characters who have been much less standard within the authentic Danganronpa 2 that can discover extra recognition as a result of occasions of the Slayhem situation?

Kodaka: I wish to make one factor clear; it does not matter if a personality is standard or not, I’ll kill them off anyway. However, it is fairly pure that within the Slayhem mode, for the reason that instances are going to be completely different, the occasions will likely be completely different, elements of the characters that weren’t seen within the authentic sport may be extra evident in Slayhem. All that to say – please, no matter who finally ends up getting killed, do not ship me hate mail.

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RPG Website: The phrase “Slayhem”, which I suppose is a phrase the localization staff has now coined, brings to thoughts not less than just a few concepts of issues which may occur within the new situation. With out spoiling something, I do know issues will likely be tight-lipped heading as much as launch – are you able to give a broad feeling for what this new situation’s meant to deliver to the desk, compared to the unique? [Editor’s Note: Spike Chunsoft asked Kodaka-san about the vibes for the new scenario, but wanted to stress that the specific title of the scenario differs between the Japanese and Global versions of the game.]

Kodaka: We will not say an excessive amount of about it, however by way of “tips” within the new instances – it is develop into tougher. It’s a model new story, so there are some things right here and there which have been added; so please stay up for future bulletins.


RPG Website: It seems that there have been just a few system degree adjustments to Danganronpa 2 that apply to each the unique sport and the brand new situation, together with the world map being totally completely different – it is now an isometric 3D perspective. What have been a few of the issues when it got here to what components of the unique Danganronpa 2 that the staff needed to vary for each situations, slightly than elements that they needed to solely discover with the brand new situation?

Sakakibara:

Again within the authentic, within the PSP days, due to the {hardware} spec issues like travelling across the Island it needed to be offered because the sidescrolling perspective, and it was actually onerous to find out the place you have been. Now that we’re working with a lot stronger {hardware}, we needed to have a greater presentation that will make sense to the gamers in addition to being visually interesting.
RPG Website: Danganronpa 2×2’s new situation is the primary Danganronpa situation the place Kodaka wasn’t the primary author on the undertaking. How precisely has that labored out in follow, and what kind of challenges – or advantages – have their been from working with a staff?

Kodaka: The 2×2 State of affairs Author, Yoichiro Koizumi, he is been with the collection for some time – engaged on the Danganronpa 3 anime collection, Extremely Despair Women, and V3. So I had no worries about having him depict the characters in 2×2. Likewise for the “tips”, there’s one other gentleman, Takekuni Kitayama, who’s additionally been engaged on the collection for some time and is engaged on the tips for 2×2. So I did not suppose there was something to fret about.

Thanks once more to Spike Chunsoft and each Kazutaka Kodaka and Shohei Sakakibara for facilitating this interview! Danganronpa 2×2 launches early subsequent yr for Swap 2, Swap, PS5, Xbox Collection X|S, and PC (Steam, Epic Video games Retailer). Keep tuned for our impressions within the months forward.