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Tales of Arise RPG Delayed to After 2020

Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on Thursday that its Tales of Arise role-playing game is delayed past 2020 "due to the ambitious nature of the project." The game's producer Yusuke Tomizawa said, "to achieve the quality and provide the gorgeous experience we envision for our players, we will need more time to realize that vision and therefore we decided to delay the launch timing for Tales of Arise."

Tomizawa noted that "COVID-19 has affected some aspects of development," but the developers have worked to adapt to the circumstances and work remotely. Tomizawa described the development as moving "steadily forward in 2020" despite challenges.

The game was slated to launch for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in 2020. Bandai Namco Entertainment will announce a new launch window when it has "more details to share."

Bandai Namco Entertainment describes the story:

Tales of Arise takes place in a solar system containing the two neighboring planets of Dahna and Rena. The inhabitants of Dahna have always paid reverence to their planetary neighbors on Rena - a planet they can clearly see in their sky - as a land of the righteous and divine. For the people of Dahna, legends and lore about Rena and its inhabitants have been handed down for countless generations, and through time, have become facts in their minds that have actually masked a cruel reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, the people of Rena have ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping its people of their dignity and freedom. Tales of Arise begins with two people, born on different worlds, each longing to change their fate and create a new future for themselves and perhaps their people. Featuring an original cast of characters, a dramatic storyline, dynamic combat, breath-taking environments, with some classic Tales Of elements included; Tales of Arise marks a new beginning for the famed JRPG franchise.

The game's website describes the two main characters:

Takuya Satō as Alphen, from the planet Dahna. Alphen is a young man who has lost his memories and sense of pain, and he wears an iron mask. After meeting Shionne, he takes up the Flame Sword with the aim of liberating Dahna from Rena.

Shino Shimoji as Shionne, from the planet of Rena. She is a girl cursed by "Thorns," a power to bestow pain upon those she touches. She joins hands with Alphen for a hidden goal, and fights in rebellion against her fellow Renans.

Tomizawa (God Eater) has taken charge of the franchise's development team. The studio ufotable is handling the game's animation. Longtime Tales of team artist Minoru Iwamoto is art director for first time in franchise.

The next chapter in the "Tales of" JRPG franchise uses Unreal Engine 4, but the staff tried to incorporate the artistic style of previous games in franchise. That includes rendered cut-scenes with a watercolor CG style, and the staff are working to let anime-style and photorealistic artwork coexist in the game.

The game's staff aid at Tokyo Game Show in September that the game's title is different from previous entries, who usually end in -ia," and said the change is deliberate. The staff wanted the title to be different and included the word "Arise" to challenge fans to think differently. They acknowledged that "a new beginning" is one possible interpretation. When asked if there will be character cameos from previous games, the staff emphasized that this has a brand new story and characters.

Source: Press release