Cognition Dissemination: What’s Actually Happening with Granblue Fantasy: Relink?
Granblue Fantasy has been one of the most popular mobile titles in Japan and certain Asian territories for years, since shortly after its release in March of 2014. The free-to-play title has been downloaded by millions, who’ve also made at least some in-game purchases to ensure that developer and publisher Cygames profits from it. This is why they’ve been holding Granblue Fantasy Fes events for at least a couple of times annually in the last few years, to inform fans who attend and watch the stream of the franchise’s future developers. The mobile game is still being supported after half a decade, but they’re also working on spinoffs Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Granblue Fantasy: Versus, an action RPG and fighting game, respectively. Of these, Relink has the most mystery surrounding it thanks to game’s development turmoil.
PlantinumGames had been working on Relink since around 2015 or 2016, with Cygames providing support. But the latter company ended their partnership with the former earlier this year and claimed PG simply finished their work, leaving the remaining content to be handled by Cygames’ Osaka studio. But there were hints that PG was actually pulled off it, since their name was removed from the official website, and PG removed the game from their software lineup. The latest Granblue Extra Fes 2019, which occurred thanks to the desire to hold a “Fes” event twice a year, provided further hints suggesting this wasn’t as mutual a breakup as Cygames wanted, and still wants, everyone to believe.
No new information about the game was revealed, but they confirmed that more will be shared about it in December. There would be no reason for it to go dark for so long, if at all, if PG merely completed their part. There’s a chance the game is receiving a worthwhile retool in order to fix aspects Cygames’ team wasn’t impressed with, while still keeping the core concept of this being an ARPG with popular GBF characters and locations.
It was clear early on that Cygames wanted anyone looking forward to the game to think this was a more amicable breakup than it was, for good reason. PG has big fans who were looking forward to playing the game thanks to their involvement, particularly those with limited knowledge of GBF. The mobile game hasn’t been (and probably never will be) officially released outside the Japanese and Asian storefronts for mobile platforms, but it can be still downloaded with an English translation.
PG has a lot of fans around the world, especially in western territories, thanks to quality games like Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and NieR: Automata. They wanted all of them to continue paying attention to the game. Some of them gave up on it the minute they saw PG’s game removed from its promotional content, but others have continued following its developments to see whether the internally developed version will capture the spirit and tempo of the version shown in prior previews.
For this reason, I don’t envy the development team for what they’re going through. It’s their collective task to complete a game that lives up to the original vision and keeps skeptics interested, all while on a strict timeline to prevent it from releasing too long after the intended release date. If they’re simply providing an update to Relink in December, chances are the game won’t be coming anytime soon. They also won’t want to release it too close to the Arc System Works-developed GBF Versus, due for a worldwide release on February 6th next year.
The development of this game will undoubtedly interfere with the production of Project: Awakening, an action RPG Cygames announced alongside Relink nearly three years ago, and somewhat revealed at Tokyo Game Show last year. When the TGS trailer was shown to the press before being revealed to the public, several of them claimed the game looked too graphically advanced for one intended for PlayStation 4. But Cygames insisted it was targeting that platform. Now that there’s a chance Relink could be a cross-generation title, and Awakening will at least be given that treatment if it doesn’t become a full on next-generation console game.
The ideal scenario here would be for Relink to turn out well enough to impress Granblue Fantasy fans willing to play an action RPG on consoles, and the PG fans skeptical of how the product will turn out without that company’s direct guidance. It would also be nice if the development team didn’t overwork themselves to the point of crunching to complete it on time — even though part of me thinks that hope is in vain.
Cygames will at least provide more information at the Granblue Fantasy Fes this fall, but it will be even better if they show it, to give a better impression of how much work they’re doing within the Osaka studio. If it’s not shown, or if they show very little of it, it will reveal just how much of the PlatinumGames version was discarded.
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Cygames did tell PlayStation Magazine UK that the bulk of what PlatinumGames have done still remains in the game. In reference to the game going dark in terms of information, Cygames has always shared information on this project in drips. The first footage being revealed in December of 2017 and the latest in December of 2018. In between, they’ve always shared small bits of information. But I’m hoping that December is the time where they will reveal that the game finally has a release date.
I didn’t see that comment from PS UK mag from Cygames, so that’s good to know. But it’s bizarre that PG’s name has been removed from the promotional websites if much of their work is still in, but they might be credited in the final game for it. I do hope we’ll actually see a good deal of the game in December, though.
If you’d like to read it, it could be accessed via Gematsu or the Official PS Magazine. Yeah, I was a bit bummed out by the news when it broke but I’m still very excited for this game due to my love of Granblue and Cygames as well. I definitely believe in them and that team has quite a few icons apart of it. Especially in the art division. CyDesignation. But yes, I do hope that they’re credited in some way shape or form in the credits. I do think that PG has bit off a bit more than they could chew with such a big project. Then they have their other collabs on top of original IPs in development. Here’s to hoping that Cygames delivers in December.
I really wanted to see PG complete this game, but Cygames has a bunch of talented people at their Osaka development studio. PG seems to be stretching themselves thin, so they needed to have one less project (and they have another one coming soon). I think Relink will turn out well, so I’m looking forward to what they show in November.