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bk2128.bsky.social
Kite Stenbuck / BlackKite 黒凧
@bk2128.bsky.social
140 followers 83 following 700 posts
Grade+6 wizard ☪️ INTP cishet guy (he) covering Japanese game & anime news here, @rpgsite.net & @siliconera.bsky.social | 言語：🇯🇵🇬🇧🇮🇩 | https://ko-fi.com/blackkite
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bk2128.bsky.social
Original JP text 　庄氏は無双オリジンにおいて，絶対軸のために「感情を揺さぶる戦場を作る」と掲げたが，ここから具体化する術はディレクター陣に委ねた。その際，重要なのは広い視点ではなく，ミクロな感情のハイライトであり，「そこを最高の体験にすることが大切だった」という。 　開発陣にやってもらったのは，ファンが過去に（無双で）高揚感を覚えたのはなにかの洗い出しだ。思いつくことは多かったが（上記の画像。この大半は取り入れたらしい），なかでも目についたのは「無双の楽しさとは，味方の士気を上げながら前線を押し上げる感覚」だった。 　これは無双7の「定軍山の戦い」で味方の号令に合わせて突撃する演出だったり，自軍劣勢時に味方が加勢にくるシチュエーションだったりと，大量の敵に対し，こちらも大量の味方と戦うことである。 　そして「こんなに大量の味方と一緒に戦えるアクションゲームはない。これは真・三國無双の唯一無二の特徴だと思っています。だから仲間との共闘の熱い瞬間を，今どきの表現力の見せ方で作り上げれば，感情を揺さぶる戦場を作れると考えました」と述べた。 　これにより，企画初期に描いたコンセプトアートでも，熱い感情のハイライトになる味方との激戦を表現した。なお，実際のゲームでは戦場の臨場感を向上させるべく，兵士の数を圧倒的に増したが，これはプログラマーたちのおかげでスムーズに実現できたとのことだ。 For DW Origins, Sho brought up 'creating battlefields that shake emotions' to cover its absolute axis, but he left the methods to implement that to the director team. What's important at that moment is not a broad viewpoint, but rather a highlight of the micro-emotions. "It was important to make the best experience on that part." He tasked the dev team to bring up what things fans would remember in past DW entries that would give them emotional uplifts. The inputs were gathered in the above slide's speech bubbles [that were already translated to Korean too], and a majority of them were also adopted. But what caught Sho's eyes in particular was "What makes DW fun is the sensation of pushing the frontlines while increasing ally morale." In SSM7/DW8's Battle of Mt. Dingjun, there was a scene where allies charge forward in sync with the command signal, and a situation where allies came to reinforce when your army was struggling. Against a lot of enemies, you are also fighting with a lot of allies. "There are no other action games where you could fight together with a lot of allies like this. I feel like this is the one distinction that only Dynasty Warriors has. That's why I thought if we create the hype moment of fighting together with friends using the current-era presentation power and method of showing, we can create battlefields that shake emotions." Even in the concept art that was drawn based on this in the early planning phase, they visualized the fierce battles with allies that would become the highlight of heated emotions. In order to improve the sense of presence in battlefields in the actual game, they added an overwhelming amount of soldiers; thanks to the programmers, they were able to smoothly implement that. Original JP text 　兵士の数は増やせた一方，なぜか敵勢には脅威を感じられず，いまいち臨場感が高まることがなかった。そこで着目したのが，プレイヤーが最も見るであろう，ある意味では主役の「敵兵士」だった。 　庄氏が注目したのは，兵士の見た目や挙動だ。従来の無双ではプレイヤーに一騎当千の感情を与えるべく，兵士のビジュアルは細めに，言ってしまえば弱そうに見えるよう意図的にデザインしていた。 　しかし，今回は兵士1人1人に脅威を感じてもらうために，衣装の塗りを厚くし，体型をビルドアップ。全体のスタンスも広げ，今にも襲いかかってきそうな挙動として，体を左右に揺らすようにした。 　つまるところ，やられ役から「ガタイのいい屈強な兵」に変えた。 　これにより，ゲーム画面では敵勢の密度感が増した。さらに副産物として，味方兵士までもが頼もしく感じられるようになったという。 While the amount of soldiers was raised, for some reason there were no hostile threats felt from them, so the sense of presence could not be raised well. The focus then went to the 'enemy soldiers', whom the players would see the most often and thus would somewhat act as the key characters. Sho focused on the soldiers' appearances and behaviors. In prior DW games, they wanted to give the 1v1000 emotion to players, so they intentionally designed the soldiers' visual to be thin and look so weak. But in order to feel the threat from every single soldier, they made the attires' coats thicker and their bodies to be more muscular. The whole body stances were also made wider, and they weave to the left and right, as if they could strike anytime. To sum up, they changed the soldiers from cannon fodder to well-built and tough ones. This helped increase the feel of density of enemy's strength in the game screen. As another side effect, it even helped allied soldiers to look more dependable as well.
November 17, 2025 at 7:18 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
This part is less related to DW & more about general game dev
-JP projects usually have 80% planning & 20% work
-Sho's own way is 10% fixed content while 90% can flexibly change to spark new ideas
-Use loud public voices as reference but don't let those completely affect your dev
Original JP text 　続けて「企画概要書の作成」について語られた。 　庄氏は日本で言われる格言「段取り八分　仕事二分」を持ち出し，企画概要書の準備までで，成否の八分が決まると考えているそうだ。 　ただし，残り二分とした実際の開発期間のほうが，圧倒的な時間とコストが発生する。そのため，どちらが大切だ，重要だということではなく，「そういう割合で考えるべき話です」と付け加えた。 　ここから庄氏は「制作については開発メンバーががんばってくれたことなので，今からは個人的に意識していたことを話します」と述べ，プロデューサー目線でやってきたことを解説していった。 　企画書に関しては，自分独自の「1割の法則」を当てはめるとのこと。これは「自分が思い描いたゲームを完成させるために，絶対に譲れないことは，実は1割くらいしかないと思っています。残りの9割は，あくまで大事な1割を達成するために，柔軟にできる余地と考えます。すると現場で生まれたアイデアを生かしやすくなります」と語る。 　さらに姿勢としては「勇往邁進」。目的に向かってひたむきに進むスタンスを保った。ゲーム開発の現場ではさまざまな不安が生じることから，絶対軸を作成した自分が仲間たちに信頼してもらうよう，こうした姿を見せながら進むのがチームワークとして大切だという。 　続けては「周囲の声に対する姿勢」。ゲームの最終形というのは実のところ，制作中は誰もが思い描けないらしい。ゆえに他者の声で惑わされてしまいがちだが，開発段階に限っては「（未完成品に意見したくなるのは当たり前だから）そういうもの」と割りきる。 　そして，それらの声に従うときもなにかを変えるのではなく，絶対軸に基づき「逆になにが足りないか，なにを足すべきかの情報と捉える」ことで，自分自身の軸がぶれずに済むとしている。 　これは「発売前のプロモーションで受ける声」も同様だ。大きな声はあくまで参考と捉えつつ，絶対に反映しなければならないものではない。そのため，客の声に一喜一憂せず，揺れないことが大切だという。 　続けて庄氏は，「とっても普通で当たり前の話ですが，ゲームを作り続けていると見失ってしまいがちなことでもあります。なので，それを再確認してもらうためにこうやって話しています」と補足した。
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
Original JP text 　シリーズの価値は核にある以上，シリーズファンに求められることの本質もまた，その核となる特徴を継承し，進化させることとなる。ただし，それだけではダメ。作品の続編というのは新規ユーザーを閉ざしがちで，ファンもまた必ず一定数が離脱する。結果，人気は先細りしていく。 　ゆえに，核を受け継ぎ磨きつつ，新規の獲得策も求められる。 　この両方を満たすためには，シリーズファン向けの核の魅力に加え，ファンでなくとも興味を引ける「“核に紐づいた”新たな魅力」が重要だという。とくに，核とひも付けることが大事だ。そうでない追加の魅力は無駄になりがちで，反響も一過性で終わることが多いのだとか。 　例えば，硬派なゲームが「水着美少女を出しました」と安易にフックを付けても，一瞬は盛り上がることだろう。しかし，そのせいで旧来のファンは求心力を下げるかもしれない，といった話だ。 　「だから核とのひも付けが大切なんです」と，庄氏は強調した。 As the series' valuation is in its cores, the true essence of what's desired by series fans would also inherit and evolve the features that make the cores. However, you cannot do just that. Sequels to a title tend to close access to new users, and a certain number of fans will also definitely leave. As a result, the popularity would decline. Therefore, while inheriting and polishing the core, the strategy to obtain new [users] is also being demanded. In order to accomplish both of these, in addition to the core appeals for series fans, it is also important to have "a new appeal connected with the core" to garner interest from non-fans as well. The connection with the core is especially crucial. The added appeals that do not have that tend to become useless, and the reverberations would often end up as a temporary one. For example, when a hardcore game places a simple hook like "adding pretty girls in swimsuits", it would generate hype instantly. However, it could also end up the centripetal force among the existing fans. That's why Sho emphasizes that "connecting with the core is important." Original JP text 　無双オリジンで大切にしたのは原点回帰であるが，重きは“本来の魅力を正しく伝えること”に置いた。「そうすれば，無双は今でも多くの人に遊んでもらえるゲームだと考えています。そうやってシリーズファンに戻ってきてもらい，新規を呼び込んで，グローバルで成功する。それが僕のミッションでした」と，庄氏は語る。 　なお，シリーズ作品であれば「核を継承するのは当たり前」のことであり，本来はわざわざ原点回帰をする必要などないという。 　けれど，あらかじめ原点回帰を挙げることで，「開発メンバーに対する分かりやすさ」が生まれる。開発側ならではの視点だ。 　無双オリジンの絶対軸は，最終的に「圧倒的軍団感」「圧倒的爽快感」となった。ゲームの中心は，大軍団や猛将たちとの激闘であり，これらを実現するために必要なのは“絶対軸の自己確認”とした。 　自己確認とはつまり，ひたすら脳内で妄想プレイをすることだ。庄氏はこの行為を「真・三國無双2」のころから続けてきた。そうやってイメージを固め，情報を整理しながら新たなアイデアも生み，プロジェクトメンバーに共有する。そうして方向性を整えていった。 For DW Origins, the team placed an importance on returning to the roots, but they placed an emphasis on 'how to correctly convey the original appeals'. "That way, DW is a game that is still played by many people even now. By doing that, we can bring back the series fans, invite new ones, and succeed globally. That was my mission." But if the game is in a series, "inheriting the core is an obvious thing to do", so there should not have been a necessity to go back to the roots. However, by mentioning 'back to the roots' beforehand, he could generate "an easiness to understand for dev members". This is a viewpoint specific to the developers' side. The absolute axes of DW Origins ultimately became "The sense of an overwhelming army" and "The sense of overwhelming exhilaration". The game's central focus is on the fierce battles among large armies and fierce warriors, and what's needed to implement these is the "self-confirmation of the absolute axes". Self-confirmation here means to devote yourself into imagining the gameplay inside your own brain. Sho has been doing this since the SSM2/DW3 era. By doing so, he can solidify the [mental] image, generate new ideas while organizing information, and share those with the project members. That's also how he set the [project's] direction.
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
Original JP text 　そこで庄氏は当初，無双9に相当するプロジェクトをいったん白紙に戻し，新たな無双の形を思案した。「シリーズの核となるのはなにか」。そこをハッキリさせたうえで，シリーズの絶対軸を考えた。 　ただ，ゲーム開発の現実としては，これが意外と考えられていなかったり，確立されないまま進められたりするケースも多いのだとか。 　庄氏は，シリーズとはなにかの答えを，「核となる魅力が継承されているモノ」と定義した。無双の場合は以下の4点だった。 ・タクティカルアクション ・一騎当千の爽快感 ・戦場の臨場感 ・三国志そのものの魅力 （物語と英雄の存在感） 　この4点がそろい，はじめて無双になる。 That's where Sho put the project that would've been SSM9/DW10 back to a blank slate and deliberated on a new form of DW. "What forms the core of the series?" While making clear of that question, Sho thought about the series' absolute axis. However, there are many cases in actual game development where teams make progress without establishing or even thinking about that. To answer the question of what forms the series, Sho defined it as "that of which the core appeals are inherited." There are 4 points in the case of DW: 1. Tactical Action 2. The 1-vs-1000 exhilaration feel 3. Sense of presence in the battlefields 4. The appeals of the Chinese Three Kingdoms period (The presence of stories & Heroes) Only when these 4 points add up, it would become a DW. Original JP text 　続けて「続編とはなんなのか」が問われた。庄氏はこれを「シリーズファンをターゲットとしたもの」と定義した。 　一方，当のファンに答えるタイトルで求められるモノとはなにか。それは「シリーズの核と合致するとは限らない」という。 　例えば，シリーズファンであろうと，一部ナンバリングタイトルにだけあった個別の特徴を愛している人は多い。私なら「真・三國無双3の護衛兵」を挙げるなど，ここは人それぞれあるだろう。 　そのうえで気を付けるべきは，「（意見や要望で）大きな声が正しいとは限らない」と考えること。今どきはSNSなどでも説かれるが，ゲームも類に漏れず，安易に大きな声に従っても誤るだけの場合がある。 　その点，初代「真・三國無双」で発売後にアンケートを取ったときは，得票のトップが「キャラクター数（への評価）」であり，続編に期待することは「新武将の追加」だったという。 　しかし，ここも注意と。これらは顧客の真の要望ではなく，単に「アンケートで選びやすいだけの選択肢かもしれない」。ファンの声は参考にしつつも，最後は自分の頭で考える必要があるとのことだ。 Sho next asked "What is a sequel?", to which he defined it as "something targeted towards the series fans". On the other hand, what would be the things desired from such a title aimed to those fans? "It does not always comply with the series' cores." For example, even among the series fans, many of them have a specific love towards a certain feature that only appeared in some of the numbered titles. I [the 4Gamer writer] would mention "SSM3/DW4's Bodyguards" but others would also have their other own. What must be noticed on top of that is to think "The biggest voices (in opinions and requests) are not always right." Nowadays it could also be explained via social media among others, but games can also fall into cases where simply following the biggest voices could still lead to mistakes. On that point, when Koei held a survey after the release of SSM1/DW2, the top votes went to assess "the number of characters" and the most requested stuff for the sequel was "the addition of new characters". However, you also need to pay close attention. "These could be just simply an option that's the easiest to choose in the survey" rather than what customers really desire. While taking the fans' voices into consideration, you will still have to think with your own head in the end.
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
Original JP text - EN translation is in the next image 　はじめに庄氏は「今回の講演は，ゲーム開発において当たり前のことを語っていきますが，それがあらためて皆さんの気づきになればと思っています」と述べ，講演の主題となる無双オリジンを紹介した。 　プレイヤーが三国志武将を操り，大群を蹴散らす一騎当千の爽快感を味わえる「真・三國無双」シリーズ。そのナンバリングタイトル9作目にあたるのが真・三國無双9，ではなく無双オリジンだ。 　壇上では，本作がリブート（原点回帰などの意）の位置づけになるまでの方針決定と課題，そして実際にどうだったのかが解説された。 Sho first said "In this lecture, I’ll talk about things that are obvious in game development, but I hope everyone will notice those once again" before introducing DW Origins as the main topic. The Dynasty Warriors series has players control Chinese Three Kingdoms-era generals and let them enjoy a sense of exhilaration from beating large hordes with a single character. Its 9th numbered title is not SSM9/DW10, but rather DW Origins. On the stage, Sho explained how his team tackled issues until they decided on a direction to place this game as a reboot (which means going back to the roots). Original JP text 　庄氏はプロジェクト発足のエピソードに入る前に，「なぜ（ゲームなどの作品は）続編を作るのか」と会場に問いかけた。 　その理由は，客が求めてくれるから。続編作品は新規作品と比べて売り上げやコストを読みやすく，ビジネスとして成果の確度を見込みやすい。この点は，営利企業の観点としては非常に重要なものだ。 　一方で，当時の無双はシリーズ継続が難しくなっていた。2013年発売の「真・三國無双7」では一足早く原点回帰に乗り出し，成果を上げた。しかし，2018年発売の「真・三國無双8」のオープンワールド化は賛否が割れた。「となると次なる無双9は，無双7への回帰が安全策か」と思い浮かべるも，即判断とはいかない。目の前の成功を考えるのは大切だが，5年や10年先を見通すビジョンを持つのも大事だからだという。 Before Sho went into the project start-up episode, he asked the audience "Why are sequels (of games and other works) being made?" The answer is because the customers want them. Compared to new titles, sequels have things like sales and costs easier to read, and business-wise it's also easier to estimate the results with more accuracy. From the viewpoint of a commercial corporate, it is very important. On the other hand, maintaining the DW series became difficult back then. SSM7/DW8, which came out in 2013, went through the return to roots done just before [with SSM6/DW7] and produced good results. However, SSM8/DW9 that came out in 2018 had its open-world approach causing a split in pros and cons. "In that case, for the next SSM9/DW10, a return to SSM7/DW8 could be a safe strategy." But despite that thought, they did not make an instant decision. Thinking about the immediate result is important, but having a vision that goes through 5 or 10 years ahead is even more crucial.
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
And of course the last part contains the most important question of all
Original JP text 講演の終盤，ロブソン氏から新作について問われた河野氏は，「作っています」と明言した。数年前に新作を作ることを発表し，バンダイナムコエイセスというデベロッパを立ち上げたことにも触れ，「昨日も韓国からオンライン会議に参加し，新作をディレクションしている」と現状を説明した。しかし，まだ詳細を明かすことはできないとして，白紙のスライドを映し出した。 At the end of the lecture, Robson asked Kono about the next new game, to which the latter declared “We’re making it.” He also mentioned how he already announced the production of the new game a few years ago, and Bandai Namco Aces has also been established as its developer [studio]. “Yesterday I also participated in an online meeting from South Korea for the new game’s direction.” However, he still cannot divulge the details yet, so the slide shown was blank. Kono also talked how he is interested in other games using the Strangereal world, although it’s still just a wild fantasy for now. However, he wants to avoid such games from having too much spinoff vibes. “There are projects for proper action and adventure games; I think those look very interesting, and when I check them in more detail, those are games that take place in Ace Combat’s world. I want to make new IPs with a method like that.”
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
bk2128.bsky.social
Original JP text ストレンジリアルという世界設定の構築 　エースコンバットシリーズの世界設定は，ファンの間で「ストレンジリアル」と呼ばれている。河野氏によれば，フライトシミュレータと勘違いされることが多いが，実際はフライトシューティングであり，シミュレータではないという。 　「ビリーバビリティ――どれだけストレンジリアルの世界をお客様に信じていただけるか」に力を入れていると河野氏は語る。手前に本物に見える戦闘機を置き，奥に近未来SFの要素を置くことで，後者を信じてもらえるように世界を構築しているのだ。 　また，近未来SFの要素は徹底的に考証されており，大手建設会社である大林組に軌道エレベーターの計画を聞きにいったこともあるという。 Constructing the Strangereal world setting The world setting of the Ace Combat series is called “Strangereal” by the fans. Kono noted how it has been often mistaken as a “Flight Simulator”, but it is actually a “Flight Shooting”, so it is not a “Simulator”. Kono also talked how he focused on the “Believability – how much we can make the customers believe the Strangereal world”. In the slide’s image [which shows a scene from AC7], it shows a realistic fighter jet (F/A-18 Hornet) at the front and near-futuristic science fiction elements in the background (the Arsenal Bird and the Lighthouse space elevator), and the team is constructing the world in such a way that the latter (SF elements) would be believable. The team also thoroughly investigates the near-futuristic SF elements, and they asked the major construction company Obayashi Corporation for the space elevator project. Original JP text グローバルに通じる普遍的なテーマ 　シリーズが全世界で愛される理由について，河野氏は「ゲームって人生だと思っている」と語る。人生には成功と失敗があり，ゲームにもクリアとゲームオーバーがある。成功と失敗を繰り返して何かを勝ち取るという体験は人生に似ており，ゲームというメディアは人生を体験するのに向いているという。 　「エースパイロットになれる確率はものすごく低いが，ゲームならば失敗を繰り返し，だんだんと上達して，最終的にはナラティブの応援もあって成功者になる体験ができる」。この感覚は，グローバルであり，国の事情とも関係なく根源的なものだと河野氏は考えている。 An omnipresent theme that goes through globally As for the reason why the series is well-loved all around the world, Kono said “Think of a game like a human’s life.” Just like how a human’s life has successes and failures, games have “Game Cleared” and “Game Over”. The experience of obtaining something by repeating succeses and failures resembles a human’s life, so games as a media would fit well to have one experience life. “The probability of becoming an Ace Pilot is very low. But if it’s in a game, you can repeat failures, keep on improving yourself, and you can finally experience becoming a successful person with help from the narrative’s support.” Kono thinks that this feeling is fundamentally available globally, regardless of the countries’ situations.
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Original JP text 例えば，次世代機でよりリアルな空間が表現できるようになれば，自由自在に飛び回る開放感というベネフィットが大きくなる。新しい技術が出てきたときは，それがベネフィットにどう貢献するかを常に考えて，シリーズは進化してきたそうだ。 For example, when next-generation consoles allow them to express more realistic skies, it gives a bigger benefit to point #1 (The sense of liberation in being able to freely fly around). When new technologies come out, they always think how those would contribute to the benefits; that’s how they evolved the series. (The slide shows comparisons of clouds between Ace Combat 04 [2001 PS2 game] and Ace Combat 7 [2019 PS4/XB1/PC game]) Original JP text 　一方で，河野氏はシリーズの「最大の危機」として，「エースコンバット アサルト・ホライゾン」と「エースコンバット インフィニティ」の2作を挙げた。 　前者は主人公をプレイヤー自身ではなく特定のキャラクターに設定し，後者は基本プレイ無料のタイトルでナラティブがほとんどない作品だった。いずれもシリーズコンセプトを変えてしまったことで，プレイヤーからは賛否両論だったという。 On the other hand, Kono brought up 2 titles as “The Biggest Dangers” to the Ace Combat series: Assault Horizon and Infinity. The former is due to the protagonist being a set character rather than the player yourself, and the latter is for having almost no narratives due to being a free-to-play title. Both titles ended up changing the series concept, and they received mixed receptions from the players. The lesson Kono took from this experience was “The creators will always get bored earlier than the customers.” “Even though the customers still want a narrative-driven Ace Combat, the creators felt like we kept repeating the same thing and ended up changing the series’ identity.” Kono noted that this pattern is rather common and not just limited to Ace Combat.
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Original Japanese text - English translation available in the next image 30年間変わらない「あなたが主人公」というコンセプト 　シリーズが愛され続ける理由について，河野氏は「30年間ずっと，プレイするあなたが主人公です。あなたがエースパイロットになりますということを体験してもらってきた。そこを変えていないのが愛された理由」だと語る。 　ビジュアルは劇的に進化したが，一人称の主人公視点というスタイルは変わっていない。プレイヤー自身がコックピットの中にいて，架空の世界「ストレンジリアル」でエースパイロットとなる――この体験の本質は守られてきた。 The “You are the Protagonist” concept that has not changed for 30 years As a reason why the series continued to be loved, Kono brought up “For all the 30 years, the protagonist is you, who are playing it. We gave an experience where you become an Ace Pilot. Not changing that is the reason why it is loved.” While the visuals may have drastically evolved, the first-person-view protagonist style does not change. The player yourself sit in the cockpit and become an Ace Pilot in the fictional Strangereal world – The essence of this experience has been kept. Original JP text 河野氏は，エースコンバットには3つの柱があると説明した。 　1つ目は，360度ハイクオリティのビジュアル空間を，自由自在に飛び回る開放感。 　2つ目は，自身の判断（どの距離でも，どの武器でも，どのタイミングでも）に従って敵を狙い撃ち，次々に撃破していく爽快感。 　3つ目は，数々のミッションをクリアしてエースパイロットになるシナリオによる，困難を乗り越えて英雄になる達成感だ。 「この3つの柱は，30年間ほぼ変わっていない」と河野氏は語る。ただし，技術の進歩によって実現できる表現が変わった場合，それを「手段」として取り入れ，「体験」を飛躍的に向上させてきたという。 Kono explained that Ace Combat has 3 pillars on it 1. The sense of liberation in being able to freely fly around a 360° high-quality visual space 2. The sense of exhilaration in aiming and shooting at an enemy based on your own judgement (with any range, weapon, or timing) and continuously shooting down more enemies 3. The sense of accomplishment by clearing numerous missions and, with the scenario where you become an Ace Pilot, you overcome hardships and become a hero “These 3 pillars have been mostly unchanged for 30 years.” However, when the expressions that could be implemented change based on technological advancements, [the team] took those as a “method” to drastically improve the “experience”.
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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Bamco has formally published details for Once Upon A Katamari DLC
once-upon-a.katamaridamacy.jp/products/dlc...
-Hanami Saki skin will be available to all players via free update patch, but only The Prince can equip it
-The 5 songs in DLC1 are remixes from Den-On-Bu's Katamari Respect album
Once Upon A Katamari post-launch content -Character skin for Hanami Saki from Gakuen Idolm@ster will be available to all players via a free update patch, but only The Prince will be able to equip it -The 1st DLC pack Dance Dance Remix Pack will contain 10 accessories and 5 songs, the latter being remixes picked from Den-On-Bu's Katamari Respect album
November 12, 2025 at 1:07 PM
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Upon further contemplation, I think it's more likely that this could be Yuan Shao's strategist Tian Feng going unique.
Yuan Shao originally ignored his advice & imprisoned him before Guandu, but this could be the what-if turning point where he would be pardoned instead.
kongming.net/encyclopedia...
Tian Feng (Yuanhao) served Yuan Shao, who ignored his advice. Killed himself after being slandered by Feng Ji. Historically, Yuan Shao executed him after listening to Feng Ji’s slander.
November 12, 2025 at 12:35 PM
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And with each DWO weapon type tied to a companion, since Rope Dart is already going to Diaochan, that means Bow has to be associated with the mystery character...

...could he be a younger Huang Zhong? That'd show why he's not in Liu Biao's army when he should've been there..
The mystery character in Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC with black hair and short beard Huang Zhong in Dynasty Warriors 9 - compared to DWO's mystery character to the left, I noticed both may have a very similar facial composition apart from the aging factors
November 12, 2025 at 2:12 AM
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DWO DLC speculation theory (take with grains of salt)
The new playables seem to be made so that each new route has a companion
Zhang Jiao route - Zhuhe
Dong Zhuo route - Diaochan
Lu Bu route - Lu Bu (playable since base game)
Yuan Shao route - The mystery character
Playable Zhuhe wielding a Sword in Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC Playable Diaochan with Ziluan in Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC Lu Bu in Dynasty Warriors Origins Mystery character kneeling at front of Yuan Shao in Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC storyline
November 12, 2025 at 2:12 AM
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Even more DLC reveals from the DWO official site:
www.koeitecmoamerica.com/dw_origins/u...
Diaochan is also confirmed added as a new playable companion, along with the mystery character shown at the end of the new trailer
New Companions Charge Across the Battlefield Three new companions join the protagonist in battle. One is Zhuhe, a Guardian of Peace like the protagonist. Another is Diaochan, a beauty tasked with dispelling the darkness of the age. Finally, a new officer makes their debut—one absent from the main story. Japanese version of the same page - English version is available at the previous image
November 12, 2025 at 1:50 AM
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Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC details are up first from the Steam page
store.steampowered.com/app/4038930/...

-Other than Zhang Jiao, there are also alternate routes for Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu & Yuan Shao
-2 new weapon types: Bow & Rope Darts
A major DLC for "DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS" focused on the unfulfilled dreams of four unsung heroes: Zhang Jiao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Lu Bu. New scenario: Some heroes faded without ever fulfilling their dreams... But what if a Guardian of Peace had walked alongside them? Experience what could have been as you join forces with Zhang Jiao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, or Lu Bu, four unsung heroes from the main game. New 1 vs. 1,000 action: The DLC will feature an even more evolved form of the exhilarating battles of 1 vs. 1,000. New weapon types in the form of bows and rope darts, along with new Battle Arts and companions, will enable you to grow stronger and sweep across the battlefield alongside your chosen hero. Note: - The new scenario will be made available at your lodgings from Chapter 2 of the main game. - To play this DLC, you must have the base game "DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS."
November 12, 2025 at 12:36 AM
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And that marks the end of today's State of Play
November 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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Sony is following Nintendo's footsteps by releasing a Japanese account&language exclusive PS5 Digital console on 21 November at 55,000 yen
November 11, 2025 at 10:41 PM
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Followed by Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows coming on 4 December 2025
November 11, 2025 at 10:38 PM
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SoP followed by a new closed beta trailer for Marvel Tokon
November 11, 2025 at 10:34 PM
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SoP
-Damon and Baby for PS5&4 in early 2026
-NIS' Kyouran Makaism release date is 29 January
-New Octopath Traveler 0 trailer - Demo out today
November 11, 2025 at 10:31 PM
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SoP
-MH Wilds 4th update coming on 16 Dec
-SpongeBob DLC coming to Sonic Racing CrossWorlds on 20 Nov
-Never Grave coming on 5 March
-BlazBlue Entropy Effect X coming to PS5 on 12 Feb with brand-new story & Naoto Kurogane added
November 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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Bandai Namco DLC wave
-Once Upon A Katamari DLC will include Hanami Saki skin
-Sonic in Pac-Man 2
-Digimon Time Stranger DLC
-SRW Y DLC 1 coming 21 November
November 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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Tokyo Xtreme Racer's PS5 port of PC release is coming on 26 February 2026
November 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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Today's SoP followed by MotionRec, Wandering Sword, and Date Kaname
November 11, 2025 at 10:16 PM
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Still Koei Tecmo time: Dynasty Warriors Origins DLC content revealed
-Yellow Turban side storyline
-Zhuhe becomes playable female protagonist
November 11, 2025 at 10:13 PM