Capcom’s Onimusha producer says he was surprised by the packed September release window that Way of the Sword now finds itself in the middle of, but that he’s not worried about it affecting the game’s sales.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword was one of the first games of the June summer showcases to confirm a release window, appearing in the most recent State of Play to confirm a September 25 date.
However, by the time Summer Game Fest concluded a week later, dozens of other titles had also confirmed September release dates, as publishers scrambled to avoid Grand Theft Auto 6‘s looming November launch.
In the same week Onimusha is scheduled to go on sale, Dune: Awakening for consoles, Control Resonant, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, and Silent Hill Townfall are all scheduled to arrive.
Other games due to release within ten days of Onimusha include Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Marvel’s Wolverine, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Ikaruga, and Minecraft Dungeons 2.
“We were pretty surprised,” producer Akihito Kadowaki told VGC in a recent interview. “We probably expected a lot of titles would be in that window, but we were still surprised to see just how many games were there.”
Asked if he was worried that the packed window could affect sales, Kadowaki said he was not. “We think our lead character, Musashi, is a key selling point, alongside the satisfaction of the combat itself. The Issen mechanic, the parries, and all of those things come together to make a really unique, fresh experience, so we’re not worried.”
Arguably just as big a pressure for Onimusha’s development team is the unprecedented run of critical and commercial hits from Capcom that it finds itself at the end of, with the likes of Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata releasing just this year.
Director Satoru Nihei said the pressure of continuing Capcom’s golden run became a motivation for the development team, though he admitted there was some pressure not to drop the baton.
“To say that there’s not any pressure would be a lie! I can’t really deny that,” he said. “But it does feel like having that reputation and that kind of wave of positivity at Capcom is also kind of a boon for us.
“Of course, that is a big motivation for the team. It’s definitely easier to work on games when things are going well compared to when things are not going well!”
VGC’s recent Onimusha: Way of the Sword hands-on preview said it left author Tom Regan “eager for more”.
“From what I’ve played so far, there’s an unexpected B-movie schlock to Way Of The Sword, a refreshingly maximalist goofiness to its samurai action that feels akin to what might happen if Platinum were allowed to make a Sekiro sequel. It’s Devil May Cry meets Resident Evil, with a sprinkling of Miyazaki magic.”
