That Unicorn Overlord is developer Vanillaware’s most ambitious title to date is hardly in doubt. The tactical fantasy RPG is packed full of content, boasting over 60 playable characters, over hundred hours of gameplay, and more, and it seems like the studio ran into some notable financial issues trying to get the game made.
As revealed in a message by Vanillaware CEO George Kamitani on the studio’s official Twitter page, Vanillaware “once again” ran out of money during Unicorn Overlord’s development. Presumably, that means the funds that were provided for development by publisher Atlus ran out, with Kamitani stating that Vanillaware had to dip into its own pocket to ensure the project could be completed.
However, according to Kamitani, the ambitious vision that Unicorn Overlord director Takafumi Noma had for the game when it was first conceived a decade ago, back in 2014, has been successfully brought to life in the final product- which, Kamitani says, is equivalent to not one complete game, but three.
The work that Vanillaware has done certainly seems to be yielding good results, at least where the game’s critical reception is concerned. It currently sits at an aggregate score of 88 on OpenCritic, though of course, it remains to be seen how well it will perform where sales are concerned.
Unicorn Overlord is available on PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.