As part of the IP360 program implemented by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, it looks like Koei Tecmo has begun working on a brand-new IP. The program itself was designed to promote the development of new IPs, with the government offering funds for qualifying projects. The website for the ministry features a list of projects that have been selected for IP360, and among them is Koei Tecmo’s project codenamed Fuji.
As caught by GamesRadar, Koei Tecmo is joined by other major Japanese companies, including Square Enix, Konami, and Arc System Works, with that last one working on a new 3D fighting game. However, Koei Tecmo is the only one to provide more concrete details about its project. The description indicates that Fuji will make use of East Asian-themed visuals and will tap into the company’s expertise with fast-paced action games.
“Leveraging Koei Tecmo Games’ expertise in East Asian-themed visuals and action games, the company will develop a brand-new IP with the goal of achieving worldwide success and expanding the IP into a wide range of media starting with the game,” reads Fuji’s description.
Koei Tecmo is primarily known for a few mainline franchises, like Dead or Alive and Dynasty Warriors. However, the company has also been tapped as a partner developer by Nintendo, for example, to develop games like Hyrule Warriors, which blend the gameplay of musou titles like Dynasty Warriors with the story and visual trappings of The Legend of Zelda.
On its own, the company has also tried its hand at developing entirely new IP to mixed success, with games like Wild Hearts and Rise of the Ronin seeing middling critical and commercial responses. The company also worked on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, which proved successful enough to warrant a sequel that was unveiled earlier this month.
The sequel, Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember, was unveiled during the Xbox Games Showcase this month with a trailer that largely revolved around story, but also gave us a look at some of its new action-packed gameplay. Much like its predecessor, Wo Long 2 will also take place during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history and will give players access to “evolved” Chinese martial arts to take on a variety of foes.
Among Koei Tecmo’s biggest successes has been the Nioh series, with Nioh 3 having been released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S back in February. Featuring soulslike combat like its predecessors, Nioh 3 also gives players the ability to mix their samurai and ninja abilities together to unlock entirely new ways of taking on the game’s deadly bosses.
Nioh 3 also features an open field design that gives players more chances to explore the world and find its secrets, and along the way, even take on a few optional bosses that can drop epic loot. For more details about Nioh 3, take a look at our review, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its combat, progression mechanics, and well-designed boss fights. Our only complaint was the wasted potential of its story.
