Square Enix Announces New Role-Playing IP
By Curt Hutson 21 February 2017
Square Enix has unveiled plans for a new IP, codenamed Project Prelude Rune, which will be developed by the equally new Studio Istolia and headed by former Tales producer Hideo Baba.
According to Kotaku, via an official release, Square Enix is currently working on a new role-playing series with newly established Studio Istolia. The studio will be lead by Hideo Baba, who was the producer of the Tales series for Namco Bandai since 2006.
As of now, there are little to no details regarding Project Prelude Rune outside of various concept art released via the Japanese site Gamer, which clearly depicts a classic, fantasy style. Because of this, the upcoming title already has more in common with the Tales games than current Final Fantasy games. The absence of any advanced-looking technology will be a relief to those yearning for Square Enix to fully go back to its roots.
The release also elaborates on the origins of Studio Istolia’s name, which Square Enix says is based on the Greek word for story.
The aim of the studio is to provide unforgettable stories that will inspire players in their own lives, and bring new game experiences to everyone around the world.
The new studio has even already adopted a corporate logo in the form of a little, blue-green dragon reminiscent of a Final Fantasy Moogle, with it’s red nose and bat-like wings.
In other Square Enix news, the company released a couple screenshots from the anticipated remake of Final Fantasy 7. The screens were taken from the game’s memorable first boss fight, which looks drastically different from its 1997 counterpart.
A new cinematic trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14 expansion highlights one of the MMO’s newest upcoming classes: the Samurai. In classic Square Enix style, the trailer is gorgeously detailed and brimming with action.
Additionally, Final Fantasy 15 recently got a patch that adds 60FPS on PS4 PRO and A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy 15, a 2D side-scroller that was was once a pre-order exclusive for the game, will be made available and free for everyone next month.
While building a studio from the ground up sounds like a risky endeavor, especially given all of the other projects Square Enix has cooking, it’s hard not to expect something great from a collaboration between the makers of Final Fantasy and a producer of the Tales series. Project Prelude Rune could end up being the next, great role-playing series.
