Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes is getting a sequel despite the passing of the throwback JRPG's director and studio co-founder
Yoshitaka Murayama passed away earlier this year
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will receive a sequel, despite the passing of its director and studio co-founder.
Yoshitaka Murayama sadly passed away in February, before Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes could launch later this month in April. The developer was responsible for the beloved precursor series Suikoden, which Eiyuden Chronicle is deliberately aping in its design, and co-founded Rabbit and Bear Studios specifically to make the new RPG.
Given Murayama's passing, it's natural that fans of Suikoden and Eiyuden Chronicle would wonder about the latter game's future. In a Reddit AMA earlier this week (as first reported by Eurogamer), Eiyuden Chronicle's design leads said they were still "moving forward" with a sequel to the new RPG despite Murayama's untimely passing.
Eiyuden Chronicle character designer and studio head Junko Kawano, director and system designer Osamu Komuta, and art director Junichi Murakami all responded to fan queries about another game. "It is very sad that Murayama is not with us anymore, but we have discussed many things with him. I hope we will be able to carry on Murayama's legacy, and I always want to treasure his last work. I hope many people will support this game," the trio stated.
"Murayama was very reluctant to have his past work or the word 'nostalgic' used for this project. He always wanted to create something new," added another comment, reflecting back on working with the Suikoden veteran. "No matter how bad Murayama's mood or his health, he was always happy and smiling as soon as he saw the joy and excitement of his fans. I know that he loved you all," the development leads continued.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is now just a few days away from launching on April 23, and it'll release across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms. Considering Eiyuden Chronicle originally secured $4.5 million on Kickstarter back in 2020, despite only needing $500,000 to be fully funded, it's safe to say there's a vast audience eagerly anticipating the new RPG.
Read over our new games 2024 guide for a look ahead at the rest of the year's new releases.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.