Kazuya Maruyama Explains How ‘Gundam Evolution’ Fits In With The Gaming Legacy Of ‘Gundam’

Games Kazuya Maruyama Explains How ‘Gundam Evolution’ Fits In With The Gaming Legacy Of ‘Gundam’ Ollie Barder Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover gaming in Japan as well as the pop-culture here. New! Follow this author to improve your content experience.

Got it! Jun 19, 2022, 08:19am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin ‘Gundam Evolution’ features many series, including ‘Iron-Blooded Orphans’. Bandai Namco Having played the initial closed beta test of Gundam Evolution , I reached out to Bandai Namco to find out more about how the game came to be. The game’s producer Kazuya Maruyama was gracious enough to help explain how it fits in with the legacy of other Gundam games.

Gundam Evolution is a bit different from previous Gundam games, but there is a reason for this and why the shift to a first person shooter makes more sense in the current marketplace, as Maruyama explains. “We want this game to be a gateway for Gundam fans. Many Gundam games have already been developed over the years, but we wanted the world to get to know what makes Gundam so special among the many other Japanese anime, especially for the younger generation.

This is what brought us to the idea that we wanted first person shooter fans to become more familiar with Gundam through Gundam Evolution . “This game genre is very popular in Japan. We recognize that Japan is a latecomer to this genre when compared to the West.

We did not want to make this game too difficult to play for those unfamiliar with Gundam works. Many members of our development team are former professional gamers who played seriously in the professional gaming scene, including in titles such as Crossfire , Sudden Attack and Overwatch . We have been researching various ways to combine the best of both Gundam games and competitive shooters.

Gundam Evolution is also not directly related to any other Gundam games. ” ‘Gundam Evolution’ employs a first person view, which is rare for ‘Gundam’ games. Bandai Namco MORE FOR YOU ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 2 Finally Has An Actual 2021 Release Date Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Not A Sure Thing, Says Director ‘Genshin Impact’ Still Refuses To Increase Anniversary Rewards, Despite Fan Outcry Naturally, I wanted to know what Maruyama’s favorite Gundam game was, to get a bit more context of Gundam Evolution’s direction.

It turns out he has two favorites. “Please allow me to list two. I couldn’t narrow it down to just one.

The first is SD Gundam World Gachapon Warrior 2: Capsule Warfare that was released on the NES in 1989. This was my first Gundam game, a groundbreaking series at the time that contained both action and simulation elements. The second is Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Greed released on the Sega Saturn back in 1998.

I remember being shocked to play a game where the storyline of my favorite anime work would change based on my own actions. ” It goes without saying, that these two games are excellent choices. The Gachapon Warrior games were very popular in their day and would also go on to inspire the creation of other tactical role-playing games such as the Super Robot Wars series.

As for Gihren’s Greed , this brings up a pertinent point about the appeal of Gundam games in general; that knowing the host anime tends to be an important part of how these games work. This is also something Maruyama is cognizant of when it comes to Gundam Evolution . “The Gundam anime series is a special creation that has always been loved over the last 40 years.

I really do hope that our audience will ultimately consider such deeply emotional topics as anti-war and human evolution. What makes the story even more intriguing is the world’s view of the mecha that appear, particularly centered on the highly detailed, versatile Mobile Suits . Our goal is to provide gamers with a gateway to the Gundam franchise through Gundam Evolution and Mobile Suits, and ultimately watch the anime series when they start to learn more about the background of the Mobile Suits they are playing with.

Players might be surprised to find out that there are over 1000 types of Mobile Suits already out there. What’s more, when you want plastic models or figures of those Mobile Suits, most of them have already been merchandised. I don’t think there is any other game out there with such a complete range of services and products, even if we look around the world.

The combat in ‘Gundam Evolution’ is fast-paced and hectic. Bandai Namco “As I mentioned earlier, we are still behind the curve when it comes to esports in this genre. However, Bandai Namco is already involved in many activities, such as holding global championships for other titles.

We will continue to expand our gaming community on a global scale, partnering with companies not only in Japan but also internationally. “First person shooters are gradually growing from core fans to a broader, younger audience in Japan. The Japanese team Zeta Division became the best team in the recent Valorant world tournament, with many people in Japan watching the match, even though it was very early in the morning.

Also, what makes the world of Gundam so symbolic are the Mobile Suit battles between ace pilots who go beyond their limits. This is why we decided a first person shooter was the most suitable choice to create a speedy and immersive experience that lets you step into the battlefield. There are already games that showcase the unique gravitas of Mobile Suits, so we decided to go with a speedy aspect to differentiate this game from them.

“There are still plenty of hurdles to overcome as we are still at the stage of developing and conducting Closed Network Tests, but I certainly would like to expand the Gundam Evolution community all over the world to the point where we will be able to hold world tournaments in the future. We definitely will do our best to make this happen. ” Gundam Evolution will be released later this year for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.

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