Namco Bandai unveiled Tales of Zestiria to celebrate 20 years of the franchise, but didn’t reveal too much information about either protagonist. For that matter, we know next to nothing about the game’s setting or its plot. Siliconera has revealed new information about the protagonists though.

The male protagonist’s name is Slay apparently has a pure and kind personality with a can-do attitude that specializes in one-handed sword usage. He will also be voiced by Ryohei Kimura, who’s better known for voicing Joshua in Subarashiki Kono Sekai (aka The World Ends With You).

On the other hand we have Alicia, who is a princess that prefers the rigours of battle to sitting back. She uses a spear as her default weapon and is voiced by Ai Kayano, better known for her role as Yomi in the anime Senran Kagura.

Tales of Zestiria is currently scheduled to release on PS3. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

In between various trademarks for Tales of games, Namco Bandai finally revealed the next game in the series: Tales of Zestiria. An off-screen trailer was showcased during an event celebrating the series’ 20th Anniversary, and allows for a look at the new protagonist and leading lady, some of the combat mechanics and the new world that players will be exploring. Check it out above.

There’s not much known about the game, aside from the fact that it will feature the same real-time, combo-heavy combat that has defined the series till now. Judging by the official logo, there will also be a dragon in the game. We’re really reaching here, we know, but at least Zestiria will be arriving on the PlayStation 3. It may be the last game in the series to do so since Namco Tales Studio has announced development for next-gen consoles.

Tales of Zestiria is expected to release in the first half of 2014. What do you think of it so far? Let us know below.

If the string of Tales trademarks in the past by Namco Bandai wasn’t enough, two more trademarks have been registered by the company in Japan earlier this month. According to Gematsu, these games Tales of Asteria and Tales of Kanade. Another game, Tales of Zestiria, was also trademarked earlier in not only Japan but Europe and North America.

Namco Bandai launched a teaser site earlier a few days earlier for the next flagship entry in the Tales series, so it could likely be one of the above. Keep in mind that it will likely be hitting Japan first and then end up being localized for the West where it will release a year or two down the line. At least that was the case of Tales of Xillia.

Thankfully, Western audiences will have their fill of Tales action when Tales of Xillia 2 launches in 2014 for the PlayStation 3. We’ll keep you updated on the next Tales game in the coming weeks.

Speaking to Gaming Angels at the New York Comic Con, Baba stated that, “We are currently in the very early phases of work for next generation PlayStation titles.

“But we still have no plans to bring the series back to the Xbox, or Xbox One. We feel that our core fanbase leans toward the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, so we are focusing our efforts on bringing the best possible Tales experience there.”

Most Tales games haven’t been released for Xbox 360, with only Tales of Vesperia having released in the past (and that eventually arrived for PS3). Tales of Xillia 2 and Tales of Symphonia Chronicles will be heading to PlayStation 3 next year. Stay tuned for more details.

Tales of Link is directed by Hironori Naoi, produced by Okitomo Shiratori and Ryouji Oodate, sees character designer Daigo Okumura on board. The plot sees the Seed of Calamity being involved in some way (the end of the world maybe? Who knows?) and new characters Sara, Rippi, Shiza and Leone debuting. So it seems we won’t be getting a singular character named Link in the game, after all.

Will Tales of Link be arriving on consoles as well? We’ll find out later. Meanwhile, you can check out character bios for the new cast here.

These are Tales of Link, Tales of Jin and Tales of Ansis. They’re certainly the most unorthodox names thus far, and indicate a singular character being involved rather than an overarching theme. Nonetheless, given the hot streak Namco Bandai has been on, we don’t doubt that they’ll be unique experiences.

Namco Bandai’s last release in the series was with Tales of Xillia 2, which came out in Japan late last year for the PlayStation 3. We fully expect the sequel to hit Western shores in the next year or so, which should give Namco Bandai plenty of time to prep other Tales releases. Which one of the above would you like to see first? Let us know in the comments.

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According to IGN senior editor Colin Moriarty on Twitter, that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon as Namco has “no new plans” to bring the Tales Vita games to the West.

I asked Namco if they have any new plans to bring the Tales games on Vita to the west. They do not. =\

— Colin Moriarty (@notaxation) August 7, 2013

Such titles include Tales of Innocence R and Tales of Hearts, which are only available in Japan for the handheld. Interestingly, the former is a remake and the latter an updated version of prior titles which released on the Nintendo DS – and haven’t made their way outside of Japan either.

Tales of Xillia was praised for its excellent visuals, battle system and the use of two main characters – that offered their own quests – instead of one. Designer Hideo Baba revealed that if the game was successful and demand was high enough, he’d consider bringing the game to the West, which is precisely what happened (who knew?). Could Tales of Xillia 2 be very far behind given its overall critical and commercial success in Japan?

One can certainly hope. Meanwhile, Tales of Xillia will be heading to North America on August 6th and to Europe on August 9th exclusively for PlayStation 3.

“The Tales of series, which is already very successful in Japan, has been expanding greatly in the Western market, and we believe J-RPG fans will continue being pleased with this updated HD edition of two of the most classic Tales of games.”

The game collects Tales of Symphonia, which released in 2004 for the Nintendo Gamecube and PS2, and its sequel Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, released for the Wii in 2008, into one package, with additional content also planned.

Namco Bandai has unwrapped a brand new trailer for the upcoming 13th installment in the long running Tales series. Millia, the game’s main female protagonist takes the spotlight in this brief video, and she packs quite the welly in her strikes. See for yourselves.

Tales of Xillia is the latest installment in the legendary Tales franchise which has managed to garner a lot of love from JRPG fans. The story is set in the world of Liese Maxia where humans, spirits, and monsters coexist in harmony. The game features two main protagonists, one male and one female. Millia is an enigmatic and tenacious women who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Despite her young age, she is incredibly knowledgeable, but the absence of a social life has left a void in her life.

Tales of Xillia is developed exclusively for the PS3 and is already out in Japan where it has been greeted with great critical and commercial reception.