■“It’s Official, Soulcalibur 3”

WATCHER TAN (the Production Manager of Soulcalibur 3) will take you behind the scenes of the SOUL PROJECT. Here you will be able to read about what actually goes on in the development of a game. This corner will feature details on how the game is progressing, behind-the-scenes information that gamers would like to hear about, and other content about things that are indirectly related to Soulcalibur.

■“This is where it all starts”

　　I’ll first start with Hiroaki Yotoriyama, the producer of the Soulcalibur series.
　　Find out about the man behind the series.


TAN

This is Watcher Tan here to ask you a few questions.


YOTO

So the “Kimagure Watcher” has returned, eh?”


TAN

Yep. There’s even a ‘NEW’ icon attached.


YOTO

And I’m your first guest?


TAN

Of course. Who better to start off with than the producer!


YOTO

I see.


TAN

Let’s get started then. Why didn’t you tell me that you were making Soulcalibur 3?


YOTO

I did...rather, you know, you sit right near me.


TAN

Oh yeah, forgot (laughs)...So now that you’ve finally announced the project, how does it feel?


YOTO

Can’t wait to see the response generated by the announcement.


TAN

Yeah, same here. And this time we’re not going to include any guest characters?


YOTO

Yes, that’s right.


TAN

And it’s not going to be on 5 platforms?


YOTO

That’s correct. We’ve decided not to have any guest characters, and it’s only going to come out on PlayStation 2. The guest characters and the 3 different consoles were great and I’m glad that we did it, but it was also pretty tough.


TAN

I know what you mean. The schedule was very tough, we barely got it out in time. The funny thing is, there are no guest characters this time and it’s only coming out on one console and it seems like we’re on an ever tighter schedule...


YOTO

Well that’s because SC3 is going to be loaded with new features.


TAN

Yeah, it’s really loaded, isn’t it. There’s going to be so much in the game I’m going to have a hard time showing it all in the promotional videos.


YOTO

We’re all really looking forward to this year’s E3.


TAN

But we had a lot of offers for guest characters this time too, why didn’t you want to include any guest characters?


YOTO

It’s my policy to never do the same thing twice.


TAN

Really?
How about a game that’s composed of all guest characters?



YOTO

Why didn’t I think of that...but that wouldn’t be Soulcalibur, would it?


TAN

Hahaha. I guess you’re right.


YOTO

So I had to politely decline the guest character offers.


TAN

This time around, we’re going to come out on the home console first, why’s that?


YOTO

What we’re making is more suited for home consoles.


TAN

Yeah, the new modes are definitely better suited for playing at home. Here’s another question that I think a lot of players are wondering. What about online? Is 3 going to be online compatible?


YOTO

Well, we’re trying to make a product towards a global audience. The online infrastructure is not developed in many regions so the online aspect would be unplayable for many gamers. So we decided to not go online this time, instead concentrating on upgrading the content and characters to provide a game that can be played by everyone.



TAN

Still, online would have been nice. We couldn’t make this game online compatible, but this time the game is going to come out in North America and Europe before Japan. And, the new modes should really expand the game.


YOTO

Yes, that is one of our concepts this time.


TAN

Lastly, any comments for all the fans waiting for Soulcalibur 3?



YOTO

We currently have over 150 people working on the development of this game.Soulcalibur 3 is slated to come out this fall, it’s going to be full of new features, please look forward to it!



 

Soulcalibur 3 is finally official !
The specifics of the game are still undisclosed,
but little by little we will reveal more about the game.
Next month will feature the new characters.