I am Hiroaki Yura, Producer and Director of Project Phoenix, Japan's indie RPG Kickstarter, and I'll be working with Final Fantasy Composer Nobuo Uematsu. AMA!

Backer here. I don't have a question but I wanted to take this opprotunity remind of you of what's at stake for your project.

You've said a lot about reviving the JRPG. That's a fantastic goal. I know this is your first time directing a game, and your reputation, along with that of those alongside you, is at risk. I also know that you want this game to make some degree of a profit, especially with the PS4 and Vita announcement.

My forty dollars and goodwill comes not from all that. In fact, I'm quite concerned at the relative lack of any gameplay or specifics so far. You got my money because you're the first multi-national group to ask for it.

You have the unique position of being on the cusp of what I see as an inevitable revolution. As far as I know, no major Japanese (or even western) content company has produced anything via crowdsourcing so far, espeically not using western dollars. I believe in the future, that will change. I think whether this change happens in five years or in twenty five is dependent on how well the first wave of content is recieved.

Japanese companies like Nintendo are stingy and conservative. Even worse, the European and American markets are very much an afterthought to them. They rehash the same story again and again, however polished, and convince us that's what we want. That's backwards, old school thinking and I hate it. If you can set the example for how the future of video game production, and do it well, I'll give you money again and again.

Basically, I need you to suceed so that some young guy at Capcom can talk to his bosses, point and say "Hey, look, these guys got the money up front for their game, got famous people onboard, and it turned out great! It wouldn't be that big of a risk for us to try and get that Mega Man game that we cancelled back on track. People all over the world will pay for it upfront!"

I need your game to be a city on a hill, a shining beacon for how this could work. I need your project and those beside it in the vanguard, like the anime Little Witch Academia, to be close to perfect. Because I want Nintendo and Sony and Microsoft and EA and Activision and KyoAni and FOX and CBS and Disney to ask me what I want. Because I want more JRPGs and multi-national projects. Because I want another season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and a Pokemon MMO, and I can only throw money at the screen for so long before somebody stoops to pick it up.

I know the numbers don't add up and you only asked for a fraction of the cost of what game development costs. There are problems with scale, and I don't know all that much about financing. But I do know that if you fail, the conservative groundhogs will see their shadows in you and scurry back into their holes with a strict publisher business model for another fifteen years.

It won't happen tomorrow. It has only just begun on in the medium of television with House of Cards and Arrested Development and such. But I believe the world is shrinking and that my $40 can help start a change via your project, and that's why I backed.

では、任せるよ

頑張って

The post is exactly why we're creating this game.

We want to set an example in Japan, just like how Supergiant Games did with Bastion, what a small team of dedicated individuals can do with a game. We also need to do this for ourselves, our professional reputation and our life (in a creative sense) is at stake.

We are really not doing for the money aspect as well. Otherwise, we'd be just doing our usual jobs which is far more stable financially.

All is not lost in Japan though. People from Japan Studio (Sony) like Toyama-san with Gravity Daze and Ueda-san with ICO/SotC, Ishii-san from LEVEL 5 and Kojima-san from MGS are shining examples of the last bastions of video game development in Japan.

Well, now I think you can be part of my fav developpers. You made my day and hope this day will be great for you too. Have fun creating, we will have fun playing your game. Talking of Bastion, does PP will have a narrator ? His voice's juste awesome (o)/

We are thinking of a narrator but we don't want to just rip off Bastion. Also, we'd like to be your favourite developer after we prove ourselves that we are worthy of your attention! =D

Thanks for doing this, I backed at Artisan I level, and I mod /r/JRPG (I added a sticky to this AMA).

One thing I have noticed between this kickstarter, and Mighty No. 9, is that there was far less media exposure.

If you can, I would try to get some coverage on gematsu, kotaku, ign, oprainfall, RPS, siliconera, destructiod, joystiq, and RPGfan.

It may be too late for the kickstarter (5 hours to go), but you and always start a custom late backer if you really feel the need (double fine did this).

Anyway, congrats and good luck!

Yes we noticed that we are receiving less media exposure. We are sending them Press Releases but I think they simply aren't that interested in us =(

I had done a Kotaku interview on the 4th of September but Jason Schreier did tell me he's overloaded with PAX interviews and stories that he has to write for Kotaku that he may be too late to have our articles up before the end of our campaign =(

We will put more effort into this so we can receive more exposure in the future!

Hello Hiro, Since the KickStarter campaign is almost over and even if we did achieve a really nice goal, you added new stretches on the KickStarter with really high numbers so, I would like to know what are your plans for the future of the project. As some people mentioned, we do not have the greatest visibility yet and there's seems to be so much more we could accomplish even with the end of the KickStarter campaign.

I believe in a step by step plan. If we can make a small game because of the limited funds, we'll make a small great game. This way, the game will sell by itself and we'll have more money to do what we want to do for the game after.

We are here for the long run, and we're not planning to leave anytime soon!

Also (complementing Veenox's great question), more precisely, just how far in the future will you be recieving donations? Only via Paypal? Will you participate still in another type of crowdfunding? Where will we be able to track how much you've gathered so far after kickstarter?

We'll be receiving donations until about June next year. That is the latest point as we probably can't upgrade any features due to time constraints.

Thanks for the answer! One last, simple, bit silly question: where will we (backers) be able to track the total of the donations after kickstarter? In the soon-to-be forum?

Soon to be forum, soon to be updated website!

There has been a lot of talk and a lot of confusion about what the 'RTS' combat system in Project Phoenix will involve. I was hoping you could answer a few questions about it:

1. Could you give an idea of the rough scale of the 'typical' encounter? I'm sure there will be variations, but are we talking about a handful of units, tens of units, a hundred units?

2. Is there any possibility of implementing a pause-and-play style system where you could pause the game and issue new orders to your units and then resume to see them carry them out? I know a lot of traditional RPG fans are not fond of the fast frantic pace often seen in RTS games.

3. There has been talk about an AI system that allows units you are not directly controlling to respond more intelligently to enemies. How extensive is this system? Can you customize the AI behavior? Can you issue multi-part AI orders (like go to a certain place and then set up a defensive boder, etc)? What kind of feedback is the player given with regards to what AI-controlled units are doing when they encounter an enemy or something?

I probably will come up with more questions, but that's enough for now.

1) Well you control up to around ten units yourself. When you are fighting minions, you could be fighting against over a hundred units. However, you could just be fighting a simple boss. At this point in time, I don't think you will be fighting a smaller pack of fifty or so enemy units. The reason of this "massive" numbers are because your units are heroes. They dispatch creeps very easily (easier than when you kill creeps in LoL!) but the only way you can be defeated is when 50 or a hundred stack on your little squad all at once.

2) I understand your concern but you won't really need to pause to issue specific commands like you'd need to when the enemy creep you are trying to kill individually are very squishy. However, the pause command are still been discussed and researched, whether that be a command or a "time slowing" spell is to be seen.

3) The AI is simple but effective. You are able to customize the AI behaviour. We are planning cue commands as well. When your unit enters combat, we are planning a visual/audio cue so your units don't magically appear dead or KO'd without you knowing about it!

Hi! I am a FOUNDER level backer and was wondering if my pledge will get me the version of the game (plus the in-game bonuses) that I want? I'm specifically looking for the VITA version. Also, are you going to make the game cross-buy for PS4 and VITA? Thanks and I'm really looking forward to the game!

We are working on people to be able to choose what type of game they want, especially for the PLAYSTATION systems but that is not confirmed yet at this time.

If we are successful, PS4 and VITA will be cross buy.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share our questions, so here is mine: Can you give us an estimate of the expected duration of the game ?

Well we are aiming for 50~60 hours. We are being careful for softcore players though, maybe we will shorten the full experience if they bust through just the main storyline to 15~20 hours so they can at least finish the game but strengthen replayability and different levels of difficulty.

We're still discussing our decisions within the team.

Your goal of Project Phoenix was supposed to be "a rich, immersive game that will set a new standard of excellence for the Japanese gaming industry, all without major studio backing!" to "forge a new direction for the Japanese games industry through a work that awes and inspires all." according to the "Why Project Phoenix" section.

What new standard are you trying to set, exactly?

Based on Yoko's video, she explains that the orcs and undead are often trying to kidnap Rafel. Does this mean that Rafel will be kidnap bait and thus has to be protected all of the time? Mind, I am aware of the fact that there is a reason for her goal, but.

Going through Bill's video, it I see that the goal is to be Japanese in story, but English in dialogue. However, things in this from the tale seems to be similar to other games in a cliche way. Now, I would not really bring this up if this was a campaign for just making a game. However, you have a mission statement of creating a NEW standard for other Japanese developers to follow.

How do you plan to accomplish this ambition for the project?

The standards we are trying to set, is how we can create a great game without a multi-million dollar budget and 300 people working on a game.

Yes, Rafel will have to be protected at all times, the missions will often fail if she is taken. You will need to use her tactically (or even use her as bait) to succeed in your missions. Sometimes she is not the enemies goal though.

The storytelling is a new standard as we are experimenting a new way of editing. I don't think there has been any case of video games where a Japanese story was "localized" to an English story standards and values, and narratives done at an English level (I consider many narratives to be weak in Japanese).

It isn't just a Japanese story and English in dialogue, the whole editing process will be in English and the standards we set are very different from what a usual game would entail. I kind of hoped that the last Story update on Youtube kind of described this.

forgive me for being a bit selfish, but will there be any Suikoden type elements to the game? i miss that series a lot and it would be great to incorporate NPC's into a personal army of awesome.

Ah! That's a great idea, I will speak about it with my team

Hi Hiro, Some of the stretch goals listed seem to be way out of our reach currently, but it feels like they can be reached given enough time. Will you continue to hold a "funding" phase to build up towards these stretch goals or are the extra goals set in stone at the end of the Kickstarter campaign?

See above =D So yes, we will be receiving donations up to around June next year!

First, thanks for your time Hiro and for bring us the opportunity for collaborate in a game like Project Phoenix. Well here my question :)

These days have been talking about how the combat will work and if Project Phoenix will have an option to pause and give orders to your team. Can you explain more about how you are going to be the combat in PP?

I don't understand the specific question but the combat will be similar to StarCraft and Warcraft's small team skirmishes where you don't get to build barracks to build more units. That been said, the core differences are that our game operates in "Squads" like Dawn of War but each character in your squad are customizable and important unlikes Dawn of War.

The question is if in the middel of on battle you can pause the game for give orders to the units, like attack one monster or move to a different place in the scenario like you can do for example in Baldurs Gate.

Ah, I actually answered in the post above but yes, we are looking at how we are going to allow the players to pause (either at a system level or a function level or a spell!)

Hello, Hiro! I've heard some of the music thus revealed, and, though it's very good, I cannot help but wonder, when are you showing us some of Uematsu-san's work?

Nobuo is scheduled to work from around Jan 2014 onwards so I guess maybe after?

Sorry there's been a mistake with the hangout address, here is the new one!

https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/46b5e391caf451dad3527b9e95a12b794c828b23

Hi Hiro,

Amazing project! You've put together a total dream team and are making one of my teenage fantasies come true. Once I saw that Uematsu had signed on I immediately backed at the Citizen level. My friends and I have very high hopes for you!

I have a couple of somewhat selfish questions:

1) Will you be doing anything for local backers? I live in Tokyo and would love to be able to become involved in person at some sort of meetup or promotional event.

2) Regarding citizen level rewards, I understand that I'll be able to help design a prominent NPC in the game. Any chance this could be one NPC proposing marriage to another? I ask because its very likely that right before the game comes out I'll be proposing to my girlfriend. It'd be super cool to do it in a game.

Thanks again!

1) We may be holding events in Tokyo which you can visit! We are attempting a booth at TGS next year and events leading up to the release so you may be able to meet up with some of our devs during that time.

2) That is absolutely possible! The only thing is one Citizen bracket allows for one character, if you want your girlfriend to be in it, you will need to purchase two to be fair to the other backers... or go for the entrepreneur and have Uematsu make your theme!

We're rooting for you guys! and also for us backers too! $1mil here we come!

=D

Is there a chance of any easter eggs of your previous projects appearing in Project Phoenix? (like a can of Dr. Pepper?)

Lots and lots and lots of easter eggs are planned. So much that people will think we have a hatchery.

Konbanwa Hiro san ! I'd like to ask you something about music in PP. It might be an obvious question but I'll ask you anyways xD. I loved the tracks you guys gave us to listen and i was wondering...will there be different versions/compositions of the same songs in PP throughout the game?

Konbanwa!

Yes there will be different versions of the same song (actually there is already different versions in the released music) as we want to make a "motif" for each essence of the theme/character in the game.

Currently the Battle Theme and Battle Melody Suite is using the same motif.

I'm a backer for PayPal. So I can't post on KS on my thoughts.

First of all, I'd like to congratulate on this amazing idea of yours on making this game and I am looking very forward to it. I can't wait to try the alpha test in the future. It's still a long ways away, but I'm just so darn excited!

One of my main concerns with this project were the date of completion. 2015 for me is very long. But since I have a few games unplayed, I can play those while waiting anyway.

Another is about the way this KS was handled. I'm not blaming anyone, but to be honest, this project could have gotten a lot of funding just like Mighty No. 9, maybe even more. And to add to it, there's some very talented devs working on the game. I wish that more research was done so that this project could have more backers and more of the goals can be reached easily. For example, one point that my friend pointed out is you don't simply show all your stretch goals in one go. Put a few at a time so that there will be an element of surprise to keep the momentum going.

Then there's the gameplay demo. Even a short 1min should do instead of gameplay concept. This may be the main reason as to why people didn't have trust in this project. I just hope that before the close on PayPal payment option, a few gameplay demo are released so that more people can contribute to this project too.

Last but not least, good luck to the devs on making such an (potentially) amazing game!

Sorry about the release, we need to be realistic about our release date!

We were also embarrassed to put out stretch goals since it was so lofty! Many of us here believe in hard work and were so happy to just receive the minimum goal.

And sorry about the gameplay video too! We needed the funds to fund the models and without the models, we can't show any gameplay!

We're full of so much excuses but you guys gave us a chance to prove ourselves and we thank you for it!

Thank you!

1) If this game comes out and is moderately successful, would the team be able to work together again for a continuation - Or would this be a one-off sort of deal?

2) Also, are there any plans for DLC, or is the game going to be released with 100% of the content that will ever be released for it?

1) We are here to stay for the long run! So yes, we want to make more games and stay together with our wonderful team.

2) There will be free updates, I want to steer away from paid DLCs. We are still finalizing our plan in that regards

Hi Hiro, I have been curious about this ever since I first heard about this project - seeing that you have worked on Valkyria Chronicles in the past, what parts of that (admittedly fabulous) game do you want to bring over to this one? A class system? Upgradeable weapons? Camps? Map system? Thanks in advance!

Valkyria Chronicles is a fantastic game but I don't think we're inspired to bring any element of that game into Project Phoenix since it's such a different game from ours.

Maybe the "concept" of using great shaders?!

I'm really excited about the felinia (cat) clan! Is there any art work for this that you could link to? Or more you could tell us about them?

Sorry, GONTARO is still working hard on this one! We will post the art as soon as we can!

Otherwise they are short (about 120cm) and they think they are mighty as a lion. But they look like cats who really like lion-mane-looking-mufflers which make them look like Lions. So ummm... gg?

I have one more question. Project Phoenix is clearly a game that surpasses most JRPGs that have come before, while also trying to reinvent the field for future production. What game or games do you feel have influenced your work in creating Project Phoenix and how have you worked to surpass them in terms of incorporation of game variety? For example, do you feel that there are certain mechanics that are carried over here from one game, but you feel that you want to try something different or go beyond those limits to create something new?

We're certainly going to attempt to surpass the games we respect! The games we respects are games like Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy Tactics Ogre, StarCraft and Warcraft, C&C series, DotA/LoL.

We will attempt to go beyond and create something new at the same time as borrowing great game design ideas.

First off, I gotta say that I love your work. Steins:Gate was viewed in my anime club last year, and the Haruhi Suzumiya movie before that. I do have one question. How does the story writing for this game develop, with respect to your previous work? Are there certain aspects that you carried over from your anime work that you felt should be expressed within this game, and if so, what are they?

Well anime and games are certainly different! Obviously the interactivity and the pace of how the story travels are the main differences.

I don't plan on carrying over any of the above referenced works I've done to our project since they have not much in common... but I do want the same "quality" of storytelling and expression.

Are Lance and Zarum playable characters in your party?

Yes they are!

If you have sufficient funds - would you consider some form of co-operative play?

Yes, multiplay is part of our stretch goal

It might be too soon for this, but is there any chance you can talk about the character advancement/customization system at all? This is an RPG, after all. Will there be something like a job/title system, character-specific skill trees, learning skills from equiment or items, etc? Thanks.

It's a little early but I'll do my best to explain what we have planned.

1) A level advancement system. The attributes gained per levels are preset. 2) A simple skill tree system per class so you can make them an expert at specific things or a generalist within the class. 3) We are looking into equipment that has set bonuses as well.

Hello! A question - how many different troop classes are you thinking about? Is CIA open to fans suggesting class types? and how do you intend to structure them? will they evolve?

Yes, we'd love to hear opinions about classes! We currently have 7 classes.

They won't evolve into other "advanced classes" like they do in other games but it'd be interesting to use different kind of combinations with other classes and skill trees!

Hi! If I do the citizen or puppeteer rewards, are their restrictions on the NPC design? E.g. can I put a bikini on the character?

Yes there will be restrictions to "suit" the world. However that doesn't stop you from doing something original.

The bikini will depend on who the citizen is. If there is a beach nearby and it's in a warm region, I say why not?

http://i.imgur.com/BPV7GAS.jpg

=D

http://i.imgur.com/BPV7GAS.jpg

Yes I saw that! Funny stuff =D

Will there be computer graphic movies in this game?

It will depend on how much pledges we receive!

Hi Hiro !

i got enquiry regarding he ps4 one. so i have to be a backer for at least $120 to get the ps4 version ? and will i get both pc and ps4 ver or only ps4 ? how the gameplay gonna be like ? i cant visualize ><

Currently we aren't selling any PLAYSTATION games on our tiers. What we are giving away are codes which players can apply to unlock certain backer only items for the game.

Otherwise players will receive the PC version of the game.

The gameplay... well you will need to wait for our Alpha/Beta to see how it's like, it's really hard to explain it since it is kind of new!

Hello Hiro! I'm very excited about this game so far, I just have some questions about the gameplay.

Will there be sinergy and depth to the combat system? Ways of breaking the game if you're very good at it? Buffs, debuffs? Combinations of spells (fire wall + arrows = fire arrows)? Magic resistance/vulnerability? Summons?

What made FFT one of the best games I've ever played was its insane replayability and depth (and even though you could break the game easily, it was still awesome); will Project Phoenix have comparable depth of gameplay?

Thanks a lot!

Yes we are thinking of all of the mentioned above and more. And also, we are planning to have our game tested and balanced by many gamers including all the wonderful backers so it is balanced very well.

The way you build your squad is very important as it determines what kind of combination the squad can do, how fast they can travel and what kind of support roles they can do as well. The usual things like Magic res. and vulnerability apply in our game and summons, well we dont have any "Summoners" planned but maybe something similar for the Ninja is being planned.

Ninja summoning like Tales of Symphonia's Sheena? Awesome!

I'm sorry for taking more of your time, just an addendum question about the combos. If they are being planned, do you think combos would look more like Chrono Trigger or like Tales of the Abyss?

On Chrono Trigger you would order and two/three characters would do a move together, whereas on Tales of the Abyss a character would put a field (AoE) and another character would benefit from it to create a more powerful move.

I just love this mechanic, I think it adds much more variables to combat, specially if the enemies can use combos too. Like for example: You're fighting a boss with some wizard ads and see a fire AoE that the wizard created on the ground, and the boss can use it to make flaming earthquakes! So you have to fight far from the AoEs and take out the wizards first so that then you can really fight the boss safely.

Thanks again!! Now I'm ultra hyped :D

Combos will both use the two above examples dependent on the classes you put together!

Hello Hiro ! I'm a backer at the Fiery Companion level, and was wondering, do you have any plans on what the Phoenix Hatchling will do, or will it just be a companion with no extra benefits or bonuses ? Thanks for the AMA !

We want the Phoenix hatchling to have no specific extra benefit or bonuses except we want it to look good as a companion. Game balance is important to our game, we also don't smile upon games that has "mightier are those that pay" attitude.

Hi Hiro.

I am currently at Artisan level but i wish to upgrade to developer after the kickstarter is over. Will that be possible since paypal is still an option, and if so do i have to pledge the difference or the full $400. I know i Might not get the kickstarter rewards but i do wish to help with the game in this fashion.

I'm sure this is possible but please do send an email to info(at)projectphoenix.info to enquire!

-If the goal is to revive the JRPG genre then why did you decided to make an RTS game?

-JRPG fans seems to love combo attacks/formations, anything similar to that in this game? would be interesting in an RTS.

-Now that PSvitaTV announced, would you consider a turn-off option for touch controls or anything like that?

1) We don't think JRPG has a set combat system. We wanted to implement a RTS combat system because it felt natural. 2) Yes there will be loads of combo attacks and tactical options (similar to formations). 3) We need to look into this sorry!

Hi and thank you for your time and hard work with your team on Phoenix Project.

The game would have a lot of Sidequest, I know you're trully interested in story telling so I would like to know if most of them could be important and learn us more about the world and some of the protagonists. Beacause as a player I found that too often, sidequest are boring and totally useless and make the game becoming unpleasant. I like sidequest with a great background.

I would also like to know if some of the strech goals are not fulfilled, some could be available after the game released if the sells are great.

Thank you again.

I personally hate "go kill 10 orcs" type of side quests. We want players to delve into the world like you say and find out about people's stories. I also am not fond of the particular exclamation mark above NPCs heads to do quests too. I'm trying to figure out a natural system where you find things where you want to go.

Yes some goals could possibly achieved if the game sells well. Maybe we will introduce them through the form of free updates, but we're not sure yet!

I know I've already asked a bunch of questions, but one more: Will every character in your party be a fully-developed NPC with a backstory, etc. or will the player be able to recruit generic party members like in many SRPGs?

Both!

So the NPCs will all have their story, but at the same time, you will be able to customize and recruit party members

Hello Hiro, I saw that you worked on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya and Steins;gate which are two of my favorite animes, what did you contribute to the projects? Did you work on the Steins;gate visual novel or the anime?

I worked on the two films as Music Director / Supervisor.

What I did was to direct music recordings to make sure it suited the story and the picture at specific times so I knew the story back to front and knew what we had to convey through the music.

I had great fun working on Haruhi as we spent a long time trying to hone in on the details of the emotion that the picture and the VAs were trying to convey.

Hi everyone, we need to start a google hangout now! Sorry I couldn't answer all your questions but we can continue to answer them there!

Please visit us here: https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/2ef7ec432f0df57772d9eae07e65078cc3493228

Hi hiro, here a question directly from #ProjectPhoenix IRC chan :

<adriantai> my Question... can the characters die in the game (from battle)? or will there be some sort of mechanism that prevents the party from dying (escape when its a lost battle)

See you soon =3 !

I think it will more likely to be a KO, not a death.

More questions!

1) Are you going to Tokyo Game Show this year? is a good place for promote the game :D

2)When we know how is the mysterious person behind the "Art Supervisor"? ^{^}

1) I will be there at TGS but won't have a place to promote the game... but Donna did offer her booth to have a poster there! 2) Probably in Nov/Dec this year!

Hello!

There's a lot of things about Project Phoenix about what you want to do, but what are the things you want to avoid? What are the aspects of modern games that you want to change?

DLC that charges through the nose, pay to get stronger, repetitive games that bore you etc!

For those who donated $20 or more will there be an option to claim a vita and not the PC version of the game in the future?

We're working on it! No promises yet though >.<

Thanks for what you're doing! I look forward to seeing what you create.

Do you know what the current PayPal total is? We're eager to know how close we are in these final hours.

Current total is $35,019+

As I understand it, your background is primarily in music. While you have worked on music for games before, can you tell us about your qualifications for directing and producing a game project like this? Thank you.

Great question!

Well, this is truely my first time Producing and Directing a game. However, I've seen this done closely in many of the games I was involved in and have a lot of friends who have done this for many years. I received a lot of pointers in doing so, and how you handle your staff and manage your people are not so different to handling and managing your music team.

Also, I am a hardcore gamer myself. I'd play any game until I understand many of the core and advanced game mechanic.

How has reception from Japan been like for Project Phoenix? English game news sites have made a few mentions of the project over the course of the last month or so, but I expected far more buzz than it has gotten considering the prestige of those involved.

On a side note, as a student of game design myself, you guys are my heroes. Collaborating together on a project of this scale gives me something wonderful to look up to.

We weren't really interested in doing a general press release in Japan as we aren't really fond of how the media is manipulated here. But that worked in contrary as we received good press in the end!

We had hoped we receive more press coverage but that's ok! We've got so many backers supporting us and we have enough money to make a great game and prove ourselves to the world.

Hello again Hiro,

I asked you about Valkyria Chronicles originally, and while I am sad that you will not be bringing much over from those games, I would like to ask another few questions.

1) How long are you planning to keep paypal store backing going for after the Kickstarter ends? I have heard 9 months, but I am unsure if that's official or not yet.

2) What are your plans as far as DLC goes? Are you open to it?

3) If you are open to it, I suggest Kickstarting any stretch goals that don't make it into the game after the Paypal backing ends, so that we can still get all those amazing add-ons like Multiplayer, 13th Legion, and Cinematics. Are you open to this?

1) We will keep Paypal options open until around June next year 2) I hate DLCs (I believe in selling games "in full" and not making players pay for bits) but my team is supporting the DLC idea as well. I'll have further talks with them again. 3) This is for our PR team to decide, if it makes sense, we are definitely open to this!

Question in regards to PS4/Vita. It was mentioned in a prior question that it would be cross-buy on PS4/Vita. What about cross-save? For a lengthy JRPG style game, the ability to start on console, continue on handheld, and go back to console at will would be extremely handy.

Thanks in advance. Artisan level backer here, and super excited!

Yes we are looking into cross save within the PLAYSTATION system. Not confirmed but definitely yes!

I have no idea what kind of game you are really making, despite watching all the videos and reading the entire kickstarter.

What do you have to say with the people who are disillusioned by the pre-order system we have for games, and aren't convinced that this is anything but a PRE-pre-order?

Wait for the open beta to come out or the actual release of the game. It's fair to be disillusioned, we are creating something different!

Hi Hiro!

Do you like me?

<3