Koei Tecmo, the company behind the Dead or Alive and Dynasty Warriors series, has revealed in a press release that, in addition to Nioh and Attack on Titan, its E3 2016 lineup will also consist of a "top-secret" title made in collaboration with developer Omega Force.
In the release, Koei Tecmo America senior VP and GM Amos Ip said, "With an original IP from an extensive, all-star development team, and a Titan-sized action game based on the critically-acclaimed anime, Koei Tecmo Games is proud to demonstrate our continued commitment to bringing top notch gaming experiences to our fans."
This part of the statement references Nioh, the Dark Souls-inspired action game, and Attack on Titan, an action game based on the hugely-successful anime sharing the same name.
It continues: "We can't wait for attendees to get their hands on two of this year's biggest action titles, and we look forward to their reaction when we unveil an upcoming project that we're incredibly excited to be working on."
Whatever this next project is, Ip is clearly excited enough about the game that Koei Tecmo decided to show it off at E3 and is confident enough about the title that it decided to unveil it alongside Nioh and Attack On Titan — two titles that have received plenty of praise so far.
The only clues we have about what this new project could possibly be is that Omega Force is the developer behind it. We can safely rule out anything having to do with Dead or Alive or Ninja Gaiden since those titles are developed by Team Ninja. In a similar vein, we can rule out any Neoromance (otome dating sims) games since those are developed by Ruby Party.
What can we expect, then? Most likely, another Warriors/Musou game. Though it's mostly known for Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, we already know the next DW game is coming to Japan this year and North America eventually, while the most recent SW game came out in North America earlier this year. As such, chances are, we're most likely going to see a game featuring a third-party series utilizing musou-style combat like Hyrule Warriors, One Piece: Pirate Warriors or Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage. Some have already begun to speculate that the next title will be a Star Wars-related game, which makes a lot of sense considering that Koei Tecmo producer Hisashi Koinuma said in a 2015 interview that if he could make any new Musou/Warriors game, it would be a Star Wars one.
Koei Tecmo teased us good with this one, and now, E3 2016 can't come fast enough.
Here are the details for the rest of the E3 lineup:
Nioh (PS4 | 2016)
In the dark, fantasy action RPG Nioh, players will traverse war-torn Japan as William, a blonde-haired swordsman whose background as a fierce warrior and seasoned knowledge of the blade allows him to survive in the demon-plagued land of the samurai. Players will face off against other samurai in epic sword battles and intense, multi-target engagements offering a level of difficulty that will truly test even the most hardened samurai's skills, patience, and strategy. Nioh not only incorporates iconic elements from Japanese folklore such as samurai and supernatural creatures — the game also offers the exhilaration of an authentic samurai sword fight straight from Team Ninja. Nioh is guaranteed to challenge players in a way that makes every mission feel earned and their accomplishments worthwhile.
Nioh is headed to E3 with more of what everyone loved about the recent Alpha Demo on PlayStation 4: more high-intensity combat, new weapons, never before seen characters, deadlier enemies and a whole lot of challenging gameplay. All Alpha Demo content will be available for those who have never tried the title.
Scheduled for launch in 2016, Nioh is in development exclusively for the PS4 system.
Attack on Titan (PS4, XBO, PC, PS Vita, PS3 | August 2016)
An epic action game based on the hugely successful anime, Attack on Titan incorporates the claustrophobic atmosphere and iconic, fast-paced battle action of one of the most celebrated new anime IPs of the last few years. Set in a land where three gigantic walls have been built around humanity's only known settlements for protection from the towering, eerily human-like Titans, three young heroes Eren, Mikasa and Armin witness the end of 100 years of peace. Humanity is once again threatened after a massive Titan breaks down one of the outer walls, and the heroes must fight off and discover the mystery behind the invading creatures. Players will engage in high-flying, high-octane combat as they utilize the trademark Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and ultra-sharp blades to repel the fearsome Titans.
Playable on the PS4 system for the first time in North America, and making its worldwide hands-on debut for Xbox One, Attack on Titan brings the most shocking, courageous and exhilarating moments of the world-renowned anime to life. Join the Scout Regiment and protect humanity from the Titans!
Scheduled for launch on August 26 in Europe and August 30 in North America, Attack on Titan will be available on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and available digitally on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation Vita handheld system and PC via Steam.
