Metaphor ReFantazio Director Katsura Hashino recently participated in an interview with Game Informer during which Hashino admitted that Atlus needs to keep pushing the JRPG formula in an effort for it to evolve. He also said that the genre needs to become more accessible for a wider audience to enjoy while fully retaining the charm that makes JRPGs such a beloved genre of video games.
“More so than just latching onto a specific genre of game, we’re going back to how we can evolve our JRPG and what it looks like. For us, it’s coming to a turning point where we want to really take it to the next level in terms of how our JRPGs are. Of course, we want to retain our strengths, whether that be our narrative or elements that make us JRPGs.”
“With these changing times, we do feel the need to update our format and create games that would be more widely playable, not just within the JRPG realm, but something that would be easier, more accessible for a wider audience. We’re hoping to update our format with that in mind.”
