An interesting point popped up during Square Enix’s most recent financial results briefing for fiscal year 2018 (courtesy of ResetEra). The company answered a question regarding Left Alive, the upcoming shooter set in the Front Mission universe that was first revealed during Sony’s pre-Tokyo Game Show presentation this year, specifically regarding its development cost and positioning.
The publisher replied that, “We want to make it into a AAA brand, but that does not mean that we intend to devote massive development costs to it. Content-wise, the game will be satisfying in a hardcore way, and that’s how we want to market it to players.”
The hardcore aspect is pretty understandable since Front Mission’s roots are in the tactical RPG genre. The focus on making a triple A title without spending copious amounts of money seems to reflect the approach the company has taken with games like Nier: Automata. Needless to say, Nier: Automata performed very well, exceeding Square Enix’s expectations and it’s expected to receive a sequel in the coming years.
Left Alive is currently set to release in 2018 for PS4 and PC. Along with Toshifumi Nabeshima (of Armored Core fame), Final Fantasy series brand manager Shinji Hashimoto and Metal Gear artist Yoji Shinkawa are also involved.