Capcom has announced that Onimusha: Way of the Sword will now launch three weeks earlier than previously announced, amidst a crowded September schedule.
The game, which was previously planned to release on September 25, will now release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 4.
Onimusha’s previous release week saw it sharing attention with Dune: Awakening (September 22), Control Resonant (September 24), Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (September 24), Hell is Us (September 24), Silent Hill Townfall (September 24), and Hotwheels Infinite Rush (September 24).
With its new release date, it is instead competing with Orbitals (September 3) and The Blood of Dawnwalker (September 3) in the first week of September.
While it’s not uncommon for September to be a busy release month for video games, the spectre of Grand Theft Auto 6 launching in November has caused a chokepoint in the months before it. It’s widely expected that Grand Theft Auto 6 will become the largest media launch of all time, as Grand Theft Auto 5 did, so publishers have created a wide berth around Rockstar‘s next headline stealer.
In a recent interview with VGC, Onimusha producer Akihito Kadowaki said Capcom was “pretty surprised” by the crowded release schedule.
“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,” he told us.
Asked if he was worried that the packed release 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.”
VGC’s recent Onimusha: Way of the Sword hands-on preview said it us “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,” we wrote. “It’s Devil May Cry meets Resident Evil, with a sprinkling of Miyazaki magic.”
