Dynasty Warriors maker reveals unmade sequel and Star Wars dreams

It’s uncommon {that a} online game collection turns into so standard it conjures up copycats – however it’s rarer nonetheless that it is so distinctive it kicks off its personal style.

However that is what occurred with Dynasty Warriors, a collection which pioneered the so-called “1 vs 1,000” gameplay, through which the participant defeats 1000’s of enemies in every stage.

All through years of growth – the collection has been going since 1997 on the unique PlayStation – {hardware} limitations meant at its greatest only some hundred enemies might seem on-screen at anybody time.

However all that’s now altering, with the facility of contemporary consoles enabling as many as 10,000 opponents on-screen without delay.

In different phrases, the “1 vs 1,000” moniker is lastly coming true.

And with that new energy comes a brand new recreation – after seven years within the wilderness, writer Koei Tecmo is again with Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

All through this era the collection has confronted an issue – regardless of promoting 21 million copies all through its historical past – Dynasty Warriors has all the time bought considerably higher in Japan than within the West.

“It is one thing that we have been attempting to get lots of people abroad to play,” the top of developer Omega Pressure, Tomohiko Sho, instructed the BBC.

However occasions could also be altering, as the discharge of Dynasty Warriors: Origins in January 2025 has seen encouraging gross sales.

Within the UK, it broke the highest 10 of the retail gross sales charts, whereas on-line it was the top-selling recreation on PC retailer Steam – with just below 70,000 individuals taking part in the sport on the similar time on launch.

There have been 9 numbered entries within the collection because it started in 1997, culminating in 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

However advances in {hardware} imply Mr Sho believes now’s the time for a sequel.

Although he didn’t name it a reboot, the staff has ditched the numbered titles and easily known as the sport Dynasty Warriors: Origins – maybe signalling that the studio believes this can be a turning level for the franchise.

It launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X/S and PC in January 2025, turning into the primary mainline entry within the collection in seven years.

Mr Sho instructed the BBC the staff had been engaged on a sequel – which might have been known as Dynasty Warriors 10 – however he felt it was just too much like earlier video games, which followers had been “beginning to get a bit bored of”.

As a substitute, the long-awaited recreation was scrapped to be able to reap the benefits of the brand new {hardware}.

The explanation Dynasty Warriors: Origins seeks to interrupt away from what got here earlier than is easy, Mr Sho mentioned – it was a results of fan response to the final mainline recreation launched within the collection, 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9.

“Both you actually favored it, otherwise you did not,” he mentioned.

The unreleased sequel was too much like what got here earlier than, he mentioned, however by the point growth was in full swing, a change within the video games trade in the end halted manufacturing.

Inside two days of one another in November 2020, Sony launched the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft launched the Xbox Sequence X – consoles so highly effective Mr Sho ceased growth to concentrate on the brand new {hardware}.

“The present know-how permits us to have many troops and military officers on the display screen,” he mentioned.

“That is one thing I have been eager to do since Dynasty Warriors 2 and three.”

These two video games, which launched on PlayStation 2 again in 2000 and 2001, might at most handle twenty or thirty enemies on-screen without delay.

The brand new {hardware} can handle much more – with PlayStation 5 Professional house owners seeing a fair greater leap in efficiency.

“We’re capable of have many troops on-screen – not simply 1000’s, however tens of 1000’s,” Mr Sho mentioned.

“With the present era of consoles, we’re in a position to do this.”

However all that energy comes with a price – no multiplayer, which has been a staple of the collection since its PlayStation 2 days.

“I’m very conscious that it’s seen as an iconic a part of the collection,” he mentioned.

He felt multiplayer would lead to a “efficiency loss”, which means fewer enemies on display screen, so he determined in opposition to together with it.

However he mentioned that will change if the sport got a sequel.

“If everybody actually enjoys the sport, then for the subsequent recreation within the collection, we will certainly have multiplayer,” he mentioned.

Within the interim years between the discharge of Dynasty Warriors 9 and Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the staff has focussed on different issues – specifically spin-offs.

These are variations of the sport, inside the 1 vs 1,000 style, exterior of the principle collection that sometimes function completely different characters – very like how the movie franchise Puss in Boots was a spin-off of Shrek.

The corporate has discovered success on this space with video games that includes characters from collection reminiscent of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda and Sega’s Persona 5.

Mr Sho mentioned Dynasty Warriors: Origins was a shift in path because it centered on efficiency – whereas spin-offs had been about being true to the franchises concerned.

“When the groups had been approaching growth, they weren’t excited about the {hardware},” he mentioned.

“However extra, with Hyrule Warriors and Fireplace Emblem Warriors being on the Change, how would we be capable of do this greatest as a Warriors recreation?”

He mentioned Dynasty Warriors’ future was about “getting probably the most” out of present consoles – maybe with much more enemies on display screen.

Although he laughed off the suggestion that maybe the studio ought to take into account collaborating on the last word “spin-off” – a Sonic the Hedgehog recreation.

“I additionally truly like Sonic, simply to let you already know,” he mentioned.

And Mr Sho mentioned if he might make any Dynasty Warriors spin-off, there are two collection he is large followers of – Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

“If there’s a likelihood, I would undoubtedly like to tackle the problem,” he mentioned.