Cognition Dissemination: What’s Happening Deep Down? 2015 Edition

It’s been a little over a year since I last posted about the whereabouts of Deep Down, a promising new property Capcom announced alongside numerous PlayStation 4 titles at February 2013’s PlayStation Meeting. Development on the project was thought to be making progress, and though the main game’s visuals weren’t on par with its stunning reveal trailer, it remained a looker. Despite it being confirmed as a free-to-play title from the company’s new Capcom Online Games (COG) division, excitement didn’t dissipate. After all, there was a chance its microtransaction scheme could be worthwhile.

A beta session planned for Japan in 2014 insinuated that development was on track, but that was before it was pushed back until later that year, and subsequently delayed again until an unknown time. Also peculiar was how a playable version was displayed at Tokyo Game Show in 2013 for attendees to try, but it was reduced to a non-playable appearance the following year. Despite that, Capcom still provided trailers to show that its development team had been actively polishing the experience.

So it’s a pity they didn’t do the same this year, where, incidentally, they haven’t shown it since I made that last post. Instead, COG’s recent focus has been on Dragon’s Dogma Online, a free-to-play game serving as somewhat of a temporary replacement for Deep Down, at least in Japan. Yoshinori Ono is producer of both titles, whose focus has also been more on DDO compared to Deep Down. (Of course, both of those pale in comparison to his biggest current focus, which is Street Fighter V.) Its whereabouts have been so shrouded in mystery that it’s almost tough to imagine what could have happened with the title behind the scenes; almost, until you recognize the trend occurring with some large Japanese development houses.

Capcom has been developing Deep Down alongside Panta Rhei, a new graphics engine being created to take advantage of the power inherent in current-gen consoles and powerful PCs. (The name also eerily close to “Panty Raid,” as it’s jokingly called on many parts of the internet.) It’s the successor to the company’s MT Framework engine, used with last-gen platforms, and whose MT Framework Mobile iteration is still used with handheld and mobile titles. While Panta Rhei’s initial results appeared splendid, it’s clearly taxing Capcom’s resources.

They’re not the only Japanese company having trouble releasing a game on their internal engine this gen. Square Enix is facing the same issue with Luminous Engine, one that’s powering Final Fantasy XV, and apparently nothing else. The writing was on the wall for how difficult of a time they were having when Kingdom Hearts III dropped the engine for Unreal Engine 4, and Dragon Quest XI for PS4 isn’t even bothering with it. FFXV director Hajime Tabata also confirmed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake won’t use Luminous. Square Enix originally planned to use it with a plethora of console, handheld, and mobile titles, implied with earlier showcases, but that plan isn’t panning out.

Capcom and Square Enix were the only Japanese companies brave enough to give the engine creation thing a shot for this console gen publically. Bandai Namco seems to be sticking with UE4, which they’re using for two games (Tekken 7 and Summer Lesson), while Sega doesn’t seem to be bothering with anything. The only company who was successful at this was, interestingly, Konami, who released Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain and a few Pro Evolution Soccer games on the Fox Engine. A shame their current actions suggest they’ll never use the engine for another big project again.

Deep Down hasn’t been shown in a while, but don’t worry too much; recent comments suggest the title is still coming on Panta Rhei. Capcom’s Senior manager of consumer games development Teruki Miyashita mentioned that it’s aiming for “realer than real” graphics, which is undoubtedly contributing to its prolonged development. Another thing is for certain: If you’re in the camp hoping Capcom will make some significant changes to its formula, including possibly making it a premium-priced game instead of a free-to-play one, you’ll want to think again.

Much of the game’s early excitement was generated by its resemblance to one of From Software’s Souls titles, albeit one taking advantage of the PS4’s power. Since Bloodborne has come and gone, and Dark Souls 3 is being made from the ground up for current-gen systems, that particular hype has dissipated. So perhaps it’s good that it’s a free-to-play title, as the gaming audience that’s being served through the Souls titles can give this title a shot for no charge. Therein lies the potential for the game too hook them, if the microtransaction scheme is fair. Given the company we’re talking about, it’s difficult to be certain of that.

For now, though, the focus should be on when they’ll show it again, which should be around the time the beta is ready for Japan. Capcom should make a big spectacle out of it, though I can’t begin to guess when that could happen.