In an interview with Siliconera, Nippon Ichi Software president Sohei Niikawa discusses what brought the developer’s attention to Disgaea Dimension 2: A Brighter Darkness, the current status of The Witch and the Hundred Knights, and his thoughts on the Sony PlayStation Vita and the next generation.
Regarding Disgaea Dimension 2 (abbreviated Disgaea D2), Mr. Niikawa explains that this January marked the 10th anniversary of the Disgaea series. He states that the best way to give back to the fans is to make a direct sequel to the very first game. The idea was to take the most beloved characters in the series—Laharl, Etna, and Flonne—and bring them back for another outing.
Niikawa also responds to questions regarding some of the new characters for Disgaea D2, but keeps his answers relatively loose to avoid any spoilers. For example, the game introduces Sicily, Laharl’s sister, but there’s a larger story behind this development that will remain a mystery until finally playing the game. The same applies for every other new character, whose details cannot be revealed at this time. They’ll have very deep secrets throughout the game. Niikawa adds that he personally looks forward to players’ reactions to female Laharl, hoping they will be surprised and enjoy playing.
The game will also include new classes, like the female Heavy Knight and the male Healer, and new monsters, whose names the localization team has not finalized. Niikawa hints there will be more on classes and monsters, but continues to be secretive.
Mr. Niikawa would like to consider making more Dimension sequels to Disgaea games, such as a Disgaea Dimension 3 or a Disgaea 3 Dimension 2, but it all depends on how the fans from Japan and overseas respond to each game.
Finally, he confirms that Disgaea Dimension 2 will not contain the same types of DLC features present in Disgaea 4, but notes that there will an abundant amount of its own DLC to keep people satisfied.
Onto the next subject, Niikawa talks about a game that has been behind the curtains for a while: The Witch and the Hundred Knights. Though he does not get into any detail for this new game at all, he reassures fans that it is still in production and personally believes the game is ready to go gold. It is only a matter of time before we can finally see the complete game.
Moving on, Niikawa discusses Zillions of Enemy X, a trading card game NIS developed with Broccoli that he likens to Magic: The Gathering. Mr. Niikawa says he wants to see this game arrive in the West, but tries to think professionally, wondering if a game like this will will be viable in those markets. It will depend on whether the producers believe it will succeed or not. You can watch the trailer below:
Seeing as how Magic: The Gathering has a large following, catering this game to NIS America’s demographic within the Magic crowd may not be a bad idea.
Niikawa then shifts his attention towards the Vita, discussing its recent price cut in Japan and what direction NISA will take from this. Niikawa opines Sony made the right choice to slash prices, noting that it wasn’t selling well before, and that it may garner more interest from future buyers.
He states, “In order to get people interested, and to get system out there, I think lowering the price is a very good idea. That being said, the second component, maybe a larger component is software.” As of now, the company is figuring out what games to make, based on what kinds the fans want to see. Niikawa guarantees there will be more games for the Vita in the future.
As for the recent Sony PlayStation 4 announcement, Niikawa states that NIS has no games in development so far, but is considering what titles to produce. NIS is confirmed to be one of the system’s supporting developers, and Niikawa says he wants to see the PlayStation 4’s capabilities before starting any projects. He also adds that he wants to experiment more with the PlayStation 3, given that there are mechanics that he still hasn’t tried out yet.
Nipon Ichi Software has had an exciting time this month. With the announcements from NISA’s recent press event (which we covered here), the company shows no signs of slowing down, as there are plenty more games to be released for the near future. Sohei Niikawa appears to care a lot about the fans of the Disgaea series. He also seems considerate for releasing games overseas, especially his desire to see a Western release for a Magic-like game.
Expect to see more Nipon Ichi Software content in the near future.
