New entries of each the Sword Art Online anime and the video games have persistently been launched for greater than ten years now. On October 4th, each the latest anime season, Sword Art Online Various: Gun Gale Online II, and the latest recreation, Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream had been launched.
SAO: FD is already fairly totally different from the earlier in the online game sequence, however we had to ask: What’s subsequent for the Sword Art Online video video games? Right here’s what SAO: FD producer Shoehei Mogami and SAO recreation sequence producer Yosuke Futami had to say about the risk of a extra mature SAO recreation and the MMORPG-style SAO recreation they know followers need.
“Sword Art Online itself, the anime and the recreation, will hold going into the future,” Futami mentioned. “We do need to convey SAO to the subsequent stage, perhaps even to a higher-performing console.”
Futami additionally defined that whereas Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream is extra character-based, they perhaps additionally need to attempt to do one thing round the idea of SAO that in the event you die in recreation, you die in actual life. That’s one thing they need to discover in the future, however Futami clarified they seemingly wouldn’t implement a permadeath mechanic as a result of “the present SAO recreation followers may be offended and simply would possibly break their keyboard or one thing.”
“We would like to attempt to have extra for these SAO followers who’re adults and expertise an SAO which is extra mature,” Futami defined.
The way forward for SAO most likely additionally wouldn’t be one thing like a Souls-like, and due to the problem behind improvement, neither an MMORPG.
“MMORPGs are very tough to make,” Futami mentioned, joking that in Japan it’s mentioned to take 70 years to make one. “Whereas we all know the IP [Sword Art Online] could be nice for it, and lots of of our followers and participant neighborhood have an interest in it, it is one thing we’d solely pursue as soon as we all know we’ve got a sturdy idea and will do it proper. Possibly, if all the stars aligned, we’d have the opportunity to begin making it.”
Although it isn’t an MMORPG, Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream seeks to emulate raids discovered in MMORPGs with 20-person dungeons and raid bosses, full with boss-specific, uncommon loot that not everybody can choose up at the finish of the battle. It’s additionally a standalone title, so anybody conversant in simply a few of the anime would have the opportunity to get into and perceive SAO: FD, no earlier SAO recreation data required.
“There’s a barrier to entry after ten years of [SAO] video games,” Mogami mentioned. “We would like individuals who haven’t performed the video games to have the opportunity to take pleasure in SAO video games.”
The group additionally wished to problem themselves by implementing cross-play in SAO: FD, so associates aren’t barred from taking part in with one another, Mogami defined.
There’s yet one more factor we find out about the way forward for SAO video games, too: Although the probability is just not totally zero, don’t count on an SAO recreation with out Kirito or Asuna. Having an SAO recreation with out Kirito and Asuna, Futami mentioned, “is like having a Dragon Ball with out Son Goku.”
Casey DeFreitas is IGN’s Deputy Guides Editor.