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Patlabor Franchise Gets 3D Action Game for PS5, PC
posted on by Alex Mateo
Publisher Good Smile Company and developer Chime Corporation announced on Monday Patlabor the Case Files, a new 3D action game based on the Patlabor series, for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. A video is streaming on the game's Steam page.
The game's Steam page describes the story:
Labors. The generic term for robots developed for industrial use. Widely adopted in construction and civil engineering, crimes involving Labors rapidly increased. The Metropolitan Police Department established the Special Vehicle Section 2 Patrol Labor Squadron to counter this threat. Thus the "Patlabor" was born.
The game features multiple missions and side missions from hero and adversary perspectives, with scenes based on the anime. There are over 20 Labors.
The Patlabor anime's Yutaka Izubuchi serves is credited for mechanical design. The franchise's scriptwriter Kazunori Itо̄ is the game's script supervisor. Character designer Akemi Takada is returning to supervise the game's character designs.
The Patlabor franchise's original concept of police officers piloting robotic mecha (patrol labors or "Patlabors") was developed by HEADGEAR, a group consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Sky Crawlers), script writer Kazunori Itō (.hack, Dirty Pair), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (Eureka Seven, Mobile Suit Gundam franchise), character designer Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura, Fancy Lala), and manga creator Masami Yuuki (Birdy the Mighty). The franchise spawned two original video anime, a television anime series, and three anime films. The last anime film, Patlabor WXIII, opened in theaters in Japan in 2002.
Maiden Japan has licensed the Patlabor OVA series, Patlabor the Mobile Police: The New Files OVA, Patlabor: The Movie, Patlabor 2: The Movie, and Patlabor WXIII.
The franchise's new Patlabor EZY anime project will consist of eight episodes, and will debut theatrically as three films on May 15, August 14, and March 2027. "File 1" and "File 2," debuting on May 15 and August 14, will consist of the anime's first six episodes, and will be in an omnibus format with stand-alone stories. "File 3," debuting in March 2027, will contain the last two episodes, and will tell a two-part story.
