Founded in 2016, Cover Corporation, owners of hololive Production, took the world by storm during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing the world at large to what would become an international sensation: Vtubers. Since skyrocketing in popularity, hololive introduced talents such as Gawr Gura, Mori Calliope, and Usada Pekora. Siliconera had the opportunity to speak with Motoaki “Yagoo” Tanigo, the CEO of Cover, to discuss what it takes to become a prospective Vtuber candidate for hololive and what collaborations he’d like to see come to fruition.

“We focus on how to support our talents, and this is one of the most important policies within our company. We don’t increase the amount of talents we have in a short amount of time so that we can support our talents to the best of our ability,” Tanigo stated. “We care about our talents a lot and want to provide a lot of resources for them. If we have more talents to debut, that would be fantastic, but we wouldn’t be able to support them equally.” He further went on to elaborate and stated that creating 3D models for the company's talents for concerts and other performances is a lot more extensive than some might realize, with talents needing to fly out to Japan during the creation of these models. Tanigo also stressed that while Hololive would love to expand their roster of VTuber talents, the company would not be able to support the line-up it already has if it expanded too quickly.

While hololive is no doubt an international success, Tanigo shared that the North American group is not as profitable as its Japanese counterpart. He said he hoped that upon opening the North American office for hololive (Cover), that the agency will begin to see a return on their investment in their North American talents. However, that hasn’t stopped Hololive from debuting European talents as well, with the VTuber agency branching into an audience it has no doubt already tapped into — just in a handful of different languages.

I asked Tanigo what it would take for an up-and-coming VTuber or content creator to join hololive. He stated that while applications are always open, a prospective candidate needs to be incredibly driven. This is one of several deciding factors, along with their calibur of singing and ability to speak several different languages. He did mention that not being able to sing wouldn’t mean that a prospective talent would be out of the running, but that anyone who wants to join Hololive would need to understand the amount of time and dedication that would be required. “I want people that dream big,” he said.

“One of our talents, Mori Calliope, wanted to sing an anime opening. So we supported her in that and helped make her dream happen. And we want to be able to support our talents in that avenue as well. We want them to dream big and we want to help them achieve those dreams.” Given how large hololive is, it doesn’t come as any surprise that this would be one of the requirements to join the agency. With several of hololive’s largest Vtuber talents appearing at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in July 2024, it seems like Hololive wants to continue to explore new avenues and new promotions with big names.

However, Tanigo has ambitions and dreams of his own when it comes to potential collaborations. “I would love to do something with Riot Games.” Tanigo admitted to being a big fan of League of Legends, and even dreamed of hololive doing some kind of collaboration with Riot Games’ K-Pop group K/DA. He hoped that with the opening of the North American office, that these partnerships and collaborations will eventually come to fruition.

And while fans already released several games under the hololive Indie label, such as Idol Showdown and Holo X Break, Tanigo stated he would like to create something with AAA Western developers if given the opportunity. He did not share what kind of game he would like to make, only that he would like to collaborate with large studios in North America.

As it stands, hololive remains a giant in the Vtuber industry. Cover garnered international success, tapping into various audiences through its numerous collaborations, to truly make Vtubing something mainstream. After the appearance of Gawr Gura, Hoshimachi Suisei, and Usada Pekora at the Dodgers game, it can be hard to deny just how effective and successful Cover was at making both itself and its talents into a recognizable brand. And with hololive now properly branching into the European market with hololive EN Justice and being as selective as it is with talents and debuts, it seems like there’s no sign of it slowing down. Whether or not we’ll see major collaborations in games has yet to be seen.

The post Hololive CEO Would Like to Collaborate With AAA Game Developers appeared first on Siliconera.

One June 14, 2024 Arc System Works announced that it would adapt Guilty Gear into an anime with the help of Sanzigen Studios. An image featuring Sol Badguy, Sin Kiske, and a mysterious new character was shared, teasing who would potentially play an integral role in this upcoming adaptation. Siliconera had the opportunity to sit down with Guilty Gear Strive Producer Ken Miyauchi, Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Associate Producer Seiji Mizushima, and Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Series Composition Writer Norimitsu Kaiho.

Given how expansive the lore and narrative of Guilty Gear is, with the first title in the series released in 1998, I asked what the challenges were in adapting the "rock and roll" action and intricate lore into something comprehensible for those unfamiliar with the fighter. Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Associate Producer Seiji Mizushima had an answer.

"Guilty Gear has a twenty-five year history, and it's quite a difficult question of how do you turn that into an anime. But we want a new audience to be able to get into Guilty Gear series, and also do something that satisfies the old fans. The big challenge was really how do we protect the world and setting of this IP. " Mizushima went on to state that the production team for the anime worked closely with Arc System Works to ensure that this was done.

"Originally, this came together because the former BlazBlue Producer, Mori Toshimichi, approached me and asked how could we make something like this work. More than anything, we needed to have a strong and solid vision moving forward, otherwise it wouldn't succeed. That was the original discussion we had around the production of this project." He shared. "We ended up working very deeply with both the creators on the side of Arc System Works and the people on the animation side as well. So if you want to talk about how intertwined they are, I would say it's an almost one-hundred percent collaborative effort."

Guilty Gear Strive Producer Ken Miyauchi also weighed in saying, "Once we formed that team and assured that level of collaboration, we had the Guilty Gear Strive narrative director looking at the story and we also decided to bring in Norimitsu, who is a script writer and very well known for his work on Guilty Gear." Miyauchi stated that Norimitsu is one of the most trusted script writers when it comes to Guilty Gear, as he had worked as a script writer on previous Guilty Gear related projects. He also revealed that Norimitsu helped write the scenario for the anime. "Norimitsu would write the scenario and bring it to Arc System Works and we would have weekly meetings for quality and lore checks." This even included making sure that characters wouldn't say phrases they otherwise wouldn't say.

"We didn't want players of the Guilty Gear series to feel like the anime wasn't in line with the storyline they were already familiar with. We wanted to make sure everything was aligned. At the same time, we also focused on bringing in newcomers from the anime." We want to make sure that there wouldn't be a reliance on understanding " Miyauchi also stated that they wanted to create something that wouldn't rely too heavily on newcomers needing that deep understanding of Guilty Gear lore for them to get invested, making it more accessible to people that may be exposed to the series for the first time.

Regarding Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers, Series Composition Writer Norimitsu Kaiho stated that it will be tied into previous established Guilty Gear narratives and lore. "It's a standalone in a sense that newcomers will be able to jump right in and enjoy it for what it is, but is connected to the old lore which will have a few things long-times fans may find exciting in the story." On the subject of characters that have long since been missing from the main roster of Guilty Gear, I asked if we would see some of these faces (like Robo-Ky) return. Both Norimitsu and Miyauchi laughed, Miyauchi telling me that they couldn't answer that specifically. However, he did mention that there are a few characters that didn't appear in Guilty Gear Strive that would show up in Dual Rulers. He did not specify as to which.

When asked about a prospective sequel series, or a film, if Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers performs well, Norimitsu said he would love to create another story if given the chance. "I would like to see a possible sequel." Miyauchi added on. "Maybe the story of someone like Chipp, or something more character specific, or another type of drama. But all of these ideas are just something we'd like to see, and realistically, the first step we'd need to see is success with the anime."

We ended up moving the conversation into something more focused on Guilty Gear Strive and the growing popularity of the franchise. I had played several Guilty Gear games in the past, but I had always known the community to be relatively small. However, that's changed with Guilty Gear having an incredible presence at EVO and other fighting game tournaments. Miyauchi shared that he was elated to see that Guilty Gear Strive had surpassed 3 million players. "Some of our teams are quite surprised, I think the Arc System Works executives were not really expecting this level of success. Before I joined Arc System Works in 2018, I was just a casual player who liked playing fighting games. From that perspective, I knew that Arc System Works IPs like Guilty Gear had the potential of reaching this level of success. That's why I joined the company and became a Producer." He stated. Miyauchi mentioned that when Arc System Works announced Guilty Gear Strive had one million players, he knew it could do more and that when that number eventually jumped to three million, that it surprised him. However, he continues to aim high and hopes that five million players will be reached sometime in the future.

When asked about the hope that Guilty Gear: Dual Rulers will attract entirely new fans to Guilty Gear Strive, and even entice them into playing older entries in the series, Miyauchi shared his thoughts. "I'm not expecting all of these new fans to get into the fighting game, because even some long-time fans don't necessarily play a lot of fighting games and are instead attracted to the characters, lore, and music." He says. "I just hope that they will like what they like." I know that the level of success behind Guilty Gear is because of our very strong and enthusiastic community from previous entries in the series, and many of those fans discuss various things about Guilty Gear. " Miyauchi also said that he recognizes the success of the Guilty Gear franchise is largely owed to its dedicated and enthusiastic community, and that he knows that the various facets of this community will be more than willing to help newcomers come into the fold.

The Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers anime series is currently in development with no known release date. Guilty Gear Strive is readily available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Windows PC.

The post Interview: Guilty Gear Strive Dual Rulers Will be Approachable to New Fans appeared first on Siliconera.

It can be a really big deal when an anime series ends up inspiring its first game. Especially when it is a Shonen Jump series and the ensuing title doesn’t end up being something like a fighter. But that’s exactly happened with SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories, the first SPY x FAMILY game. It’s more of a relaxed, slice of life affair with Anya Forger as the focus. To learn more about its development, Siliconera spoke with Producer Yuri Kishi about the title.

Jenni Lada: When did you start working on the SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories SPY x FAMILY game? 

Yuri Kishi: The project started several years ago. When we started, the anime series had not yet been broadcast even in Japan, but the manga series had begun, and we were confident that the game would become even more spread in the future. Many of us in our office are also fans of the manga, and the project began with the desire of a fan to enjoy the world of the Spy Family in the form of a video game as well.

How influential is the SPY x FAMILY manga and anime on SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories, and which arcs can we expect to see events from in the game?

Kishi: In the game, the player assumes the role of Anya and collects photo memories of her daily life to complete a photo diary assignment from Eden College. During the day, players can go to school, and by night, they can spend time with the Forger family. On days off, players can go on family outings to the ocean, the aquarium, and other places to collect photo memories to put in Anya's diary.  

The game also features more than 15 unique mini games that are specific to SPY x FAMILY. For example, you can avoid a ball when playing Dodgeball by using Anya's Telepathy during mini game. In addition, the four Forger characters can enjoy more than 80 different dress-up options, including costumes from the anime as well as game-original clothing, accessories, and hairstyles that can only be found in the game.

There are 10 types of outings the Forger family can go on in game. How many different kinds of outcomes and experiences can we expect to experience at each location and place? How valuable will it be to return to the same spot multiple times?

Kishi: Depending on the progress of the game, the number of places you can go out will be unlocked. There are 10 locations in total, including the aquarium, museum, castle, and beach. Once you have visited a destination, you can go there as many times as you like and can decide where to go. At each destination, there are many things that Anya likes, such as butterflies and swings. When you find them, take a picture of them. If you take nice pictures, you will be able to collect memories to fill the diary. The "Super Cool! items" will change each time you visit a destination, so try going again and again and taking various photos. Once you have taken all the pictures, you will be able to see the wonderful event of the Forger family.

Which SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories outing was the most fun to implement?

Kishi: There are a total of 10 outings in the game, and the places featured in the anime, such as the museum and castle, are particularly impressive. Players can actually run around in the world of the anime. In addition to the destinations, the game offers the unique experience of running around as Anya in the Forger's house, Eden College, and other familiar places and interacting with characters like Loid, Yor, Damian, Yuri, and Fiona.

Appearances from SPY X FAMILY characters Damian, Becky, Yuri, and Fiona are already confirmed, but are there any other major characters we can expect to see in SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories?

Kishi: At Eden College, you can interact with Anya and her friends' homeroom teacher, Henderson, as well as Damian's friends, Emile and Ewen. You can participate in various mini-games with them, such as playing cards, attending Henderson's class, competing in evaluations, and even playing Dodgeball with Bill, who also appeared in the anime.

When picking out minigames for SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories, what kinds of activities and experiences did you try to prioritize?

Kishi: SPY x FAMILY incorporates unique characters, an outlandish yet heartwarming story, cool action, and comical story, making it popular among a wide range of customers, across all ages. We aimed to captures the essence of Spy x Family and can be enjoyed by anyone who loves the series by game which can be interactive entertainment. After thorough discussions within and outside the company, we developed the gameplay and style for SPY x ANYA: Operation Memories. In this game, players can enjoy unique mini-games based on anime, such as using Anya's telepathy to avoid a ball in Dodgeball, or reading your opponent's thoughts when playing cards. Additionally, there are mini games where players control Loid as “Twilight” to complete missions, Yor as "Thorn Princess" to defeat bad guys, and to run on a Bond.

Now that you’ve made a sort of life sim based on SPY x FAMILY, is there any other type of game based on the series you’d like to create?

Kishi: Currently, there are no plans for another game. However, as mentioned above, the world of SPY x FAMILY is so rich, I am sure there are other ways to adapt it into another game. We incorporated a lot of the charm of the work into SPY x ANYA, so I hope you will play this game!

Spy x Anya: Operation Memories will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 outside Japan on June 28, 2024, with the PC version showing up on Steam on June 27, 2024. The Spy x Family game is immediately available on Nintendo Switch in Japan, with PS4, PS5, and PC versions following there on June 27, 2024. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll, while Viz Media handles the manga.

The post Interview: Developing the SPY x ANYA SPY x FAMILY Game appeared first on Siliconera.

The Monkey Ball series is a staple for Sega, with new entries regularly appearing on various consoles. Sometimes, they mean new courses to roll through. Other times, the priority ends up being on party games that implement the mechanics. With Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble on the horizon, especially with it including multiplayer in the Adventure Mode as one of its signature features, Siliconera spoke with Director Daisuke Takahata, Producer Nobuhiro Suzuki, and Designer Yukio Oda about the game.

When did development begin on Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble?

Nobuhiro Suzuki: Development started about 2 years ago, so around the spring of 2022.

How did the development of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania affect Banana Rumble?

Suzuki and Yukio Oda: In response to user feedback from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, we have made a number of improvements and quality of life updates to Banana Rumble, including the ability to enjoy Adventure Mode with up to four players in multiplayer, and improvements to physics in an effort to make it simpler and more intuitive. I believe that the development of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania has helped to enhance the quality of Banana Rumble in many ways.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is the first entry in over five years to be limited to a single platform. Did that affect the development process in any way?

Sukuki and Oda: The reason for limiting the game to Nintendo Switch was primarily to provide a stable quality of online competition with 16 players, which is the biggest selling point of this game. As a result of focusing on a single platform, we were able to focus on the implementation and stabilization of online matches over time, and as a result, we were able to reach a level that our users can enjoy. 

If we receive support from our users, we believe we can consider expanding platforms in the future, so please support Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble supports 16-player multiplayer. What led to the development shooting for that number? 

Sukuki: For the number of players, we tried a lot of things during the development stage. When it came to stability on the network itself — the processing speed, the fun of the competition -- in order to firmly establish these elements, we found that the optimal number of players is 16. That's the reason why we went with the number that we did.

How did developing for a larger group affect game modes? Are there any concepts you wanted to include, but couldn’t, because of the larger player count? 

Daisuke Takahata: Developing for a larger group had various influences, and was also a big challenge for us. As the number of players increased, it inevitably means there will be more players that can't get to be "first place," so we aimed for gameplay that allows as many more players to have a chance to win. Also, since you will be colliding with a lot of people, we made many detailed adjustments to how the ball would rebound.

Likewise, how did the larger number of players in multiplayer affect Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble options? 

Takahata: So a new option that came about due to the increase in the number of players is that we now have a "Chat Wheel.” This shortcut allows you to send messages and stickers to other players at different moments during gameplay, and you can and customize it as you see fit. This option exists because Banana Rumble is different than other entries in the Super Monkey Ball series up until now, so we hope players have a lot of fun interacting with others all around the world in this unique way.

Super Monkey Ball games are, as of late, known for their guest stars and optional characters that sometimes appear as DLC. Will Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble feature the same sorts of cameos and how will that affect the multiplayer experience?

Suzuki: When the guest characters were announced for our last title, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, there was a very positive response from the fans. As a result, we are very excited to share what additional content players can expect in Banana Rumble through the SEGA Pass and other updates, so we hope everyone is looking forward to that.

As for how the additional characters will impact the gameplay, the scope of how you can enjoy the game will expand, but they won't give you an advantage in a match. User technique and luck will always play a key role in the experience. It will not be a pay-to-win situation, so please don't be concerned about that.

The Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble Adventure Mode also features four-player co-op multiplayer. How difficult was this to implement, and how does it affect progression?

Suzuki: The traditional gameplay of Super Monkey Ball can be found in Adventure Mode, so while it wasn't as difficult to implement as Battle Mode, especially with it supporting up to 16 players, there were still a lot of issues to solve, including the user of split-screen and user contact. Specifically, it is difficult to meet the needs of both “cooperation ” and“ competition, ” and for this reason, we have introduced a range of options such as allowing players the choice to turn off collision so you don't bounce off each other, along with other  settings. Also, to make sure the game can be enjoyed by family and friends, we have made adjustments that are unique to multiplayer, like how everyone can work together to complete missions.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble will come to the Nintendo Switch on June 25, 2025. 

The post Interview: Preparing Super Monkey Ball for the Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

The SaGa series has blossomed over the years, turning into one in which we’re assured new games will always appear worldwide and additional entries will continue the series’ legacy. Following the recent release of SaGa Emerald Beyond, Siliconera got to ask series creator Akitoshi Kawazu about past entries in the series like SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu, SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha 3D, and Unlimited SaGa, currently running ones, and the future of SaGa games as a whole.

Jenni Lada: In Japan, SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu and SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha 3D remakes both appeared on the DS. How would you feel about a Collection of SaGa style worldwide release of those titles?

Akitoshi Kawazu: The DS versions would need to be redesigned, but it would be nice to release them if possible. No concrete plans are in progress at this time.

Unlimited SaGa is one of the more experimental games in the series. Looking back on it, what did you learn from that installment?

Akitoshi Kawazu: I learned that players can be surprisingly conservative.

If you would get a chance to remaster Unlimited SaGa and get it a second chance worldwide, what additional features or elements might you want to include in it?

Akitoshi Kawazu: There are many ways to go about this, from putting it out as-is to completely revamping it, so I don't have anything in mind yet. The battle system would probably go through an overhaul.

Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe is coming up on its sixth anniversary. What would you like to do next in the game?

Akitoshi Kawazu: The most important thing is to continue the service, so there are no plans to make any major, drastic changes. We’ve provided many characters and styles, so it would be great if we could do something that utilizes them. However, since implementing anything is never a simple matter, I’m hoping to take my time and proceed with intention.

You’ve teased a SaGa Frontier 2 remaster as a follow up to SaGa Frontier Remastered. What would you most like to do in such a project, and is there anything you didn’t get to achieve in SaGa Frontier Remastered that you’d like to try in a return to the sequel?

Akitoshi Kawazu: It’s important to deliver to fans who loved the past works, so we want to continue to do so. On the other hand, making it possible for new users to play refined versions of past works is another area where we would like to take on more challenges.

What would you like to do next with the SaGa series and new games?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Experimentation is a mainstay for SaGa, so I’d like to continue this with whatever comes next. Perhaps I’ll experiment with something a bit more “conventional” next.

The post Interview: Akitoshi Kawazu Talks About Old and New SaGa Games appeared first on Siliconera.

A month before the release of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida. During our conversation, the developer discussed the painstaking work that went into implementing the upcoming graphics update, as well as the challenges of creating the new Viper and Pictomancer job classes for the expansion. This also meant hearing about the passion the creator has for the FFXIV community.

Brent Koepp: Viper and Pictomancer seem like they could be among Final Fantasy XIV's most ambitious job classes in the game to date. What was the greatest challenge with implementing both of them in the MMORPG?

Naoki Yoshida: With every Final Fantasy XIV expansion, the battle and combat team and I always have to come up with introducing a new job. So we are always wracking our brains like, "Oh, no! What are we going to do!? What are we going to do!? There's just way too many jobs now!" [Laughs].

The team is always wracking our brains around like, "How long do we have to continue doing this? And that fear of "Oh, we are adding new jobs again?" is definitely a challenge during the development of new expansions. And with a lot of MMORPGs out there, whenever they introduce a new class, they tend to be OP (overpowered), and they end up being nerfed. But we don't ever want to do that with Final Fantasy XIV. And so the team is very diligent in making sure that the balance of new job classes is always well-managed.

So sometimes, this results in a new job class that may be slightly weaker than existing jobs initially. But with Final Fantasy XIV, we make sure that with any job combination, you will be able to clear dungeon content and raid content. And we really make sure that we are always looking at the new job's balance and making sure that, overall, we are able to keep the balance we've maintained with the other classes already in the game. So, while creating Viper and Pictomancer was tough and challenging, we know that the players are looking forward to both new jobs being introduced. So we work really hard. And in the end, we really just take to heart how much the players are anticipating Dawntrail's new jobs.

And on a side note, in about three months, the team will need to start considering what new jobs we'll have to add for the NEXT TIME! [laughs]. So yeah, that fear is going to come back up all over again [laughs].

Final Fantasy XIV is a game players have been playing for over a decade now. As a team, what was it like seeing FFXIV for the first time with the upcoming graphics update applied to it?

Yoshida: I, and specifically the artists on our team, are very happy with this graphical update. With Final Fantasy XIV historically, we had to always accommodate for the different specs of different machines, including the PlayStation 3. So, at the time, we made the pipeline so that the build would accommodate the PS3.

But now that we are applying this graphics update and updating our systems so that they are more modern, our team has been able to utilize new technology. As a result, our pipeline has now improved for the artists. So they are definitely happy with that change. For the elements the artists will be creating for Final Fantasy XIV 7.0 and beyond, they are very happy with the pipeline that has now been set up.

How much work went into the FFXIV graphics update, and were there any challenges bringing it into a game that launched in 2013?

Yoshida: We have to apply this graphics update to previous content as well, and it's [laughs] a very significant amount of content! We don't even want to count how many things we now need to change. And so, some things in older expansions will need to be remade, while other things will just be a matter of updating textures. But just thinking about it [laughs], it just makes the artists kind of like, "Hold their brain and be like ahhh!" They are not looking forward to adjusting those.

With the amount of hard work that was put in by the artists, I don't think I can do it justice to try to explain all of the elements they worked on in the graphics update. We would run out of time. I wish I had more time to explain everything just to honor their hard work. It would have been nice. But I guess the challenges of making the graphics update can be summarized in one example I want to give you.

If you can imagine the character's face in Final Fantasy XIV, let's say we focus on their dimples or the surface of their cheeks. This is not created with just polygons, but it's also a matter of the normal map that is placed over the character's head. And so, with the graphics update, the resolution of the texture that is placed on top of the normal map with the polygons will have increased in resolution as well.

So the textures have been made into high-resolution, but we've also had to adjust the lighting to be of higher quality. Now, we have high-quality density, high-quality resolution, and high-quality processing of all the different elements that are on the surface texture of the character's face. But because the original normal map underneath the surface texture has not been updated, there are these weird lines or shadows that will show up on a character's face with the way the lighting hits the skin. And because that kind of weird line shows up, we received feedback from players when initially previewing the new graphics update.

Players were like, "Oh, no! My character looks completely different from what I'm used to seeing!" All of the assets were the same. It's just how the new lighting hits. It made it seem like the characters now had laugh lines [laughs]. So, the artists on our team went in to fix the normal map so it doesn't have the weird lines showing up when a shadow is cast across a character's face. Sometimes, they even had to adjust the projection of the shadow itself to fudge it so it didn't cast a weird shadow on a character. That's the kind of painstaking detail our artists had to do.

I was actually present with the character team, making sure that okay we fixed this specific issue. We've pointed and checked the problem and found a solution. With this example I've given, I think you can grasp or get an idea of just how much effort and work was put into the upcoming graphics update for Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail will be available in early access on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac, and PC starting June 28, 2024. The new expansion will launch worldwide on July 02, 2024.

The post Interview: Naoki Yoshida on Making Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail appeared first on Siliconera.

As the years go by, the SaGa JRPG series gained a wider appreciation worldwide and, as a result, we get to see new entries like 2024’s SaGa Emerald Beyond. Now that the game is available everywhere, Siliconera got a chance to catch up with this entry’s Director and Lead Writer Akitoshi Kawazu, who is also the series creator, to go over its development.

Jenni Lada: First, when did SaGa Emerald Beyond development begin?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Development on SaGa Emerald Beyond started as soon as we completed development of the Japanese version of SaGa Scarlet Grace. Concurrent to working on the overseas version of the title, we held a series of meetings to accumulate ideas for the next entry.

How did SaGa Scarlet Grace influence Emerald Beyond’s development and scenarios?

Akitoshi Kawazu: We designed a new event management system based on our experience with SaGa Scarlet Grace. As a result, it is now possible to incorporate fairly complex scenarios.

Likewise, SaGa: Emerald Beyond comes after the rereleases of games like SaGa Frontier and Collection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend. We also see Mr. S and mechs return. How did classic titles influence its development?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Our intention isn’t to trace past works. The introduction of various races was an important element in the design of this work. In addition, we already had a character who was well-suited for the tutorial element, which is so important in modern games, so we simply had them make an appearance.

When creating the main cast of SaGa Emerald Beyond characters, what were your immediate goals?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Our goal for each protagonist was to offer a completely unique experience. To achieve this, we prepared a variety of characters with distinct cultural backgrounds in addition to different abilities and visuals.

Were there any potential leads you wanted to try and include, but couldn’t?

Akitoshi Kawazu: There are indeed characters that couldn’t be included, but it’s probably best not to mention them. After all, there might be an opportunity for them to appear somewhere else.

In the case of Bonnie and Formina, we have two heroines in a single story instead of one lead. What influenced their development and direction?

Akitoshi Kawazu: Yes. When I thought of a female duo, the first one that came to mind was Thelma & Louise.

Each of the main characters have certain gimmicks that set them apart as heroes. How did you work on the balance for each one to ensure they’d be at about equal power levels and all be interesting individuals?

Akitoshi Kawazu: We allowed for some variation when it came to a character’s ease of use. More so than maintaining balance, we wanted players to enjoy a different experience with each protagonist.

What artistic influences helped shape SaGa Emerald Beyond and its characters and world?

Akitoshi Kawazu: For the artistic vision, I had a lot of in-depth discussions with members of the art team, especially with the lead artist, Satoshi Kuramochi. We asked him to design characters who encapsulated the essence of video games while having a realistic presence.

How did other forms of media affect the development of characters like the “magical girl” Ameya or vampire Siugnas?

Akitoshi Kawazu: The presence of magical girls in Japanese anime is the basis for Ameya's design and storyline. I think Siugnas also has less of a traditional vampire feel and is more like a character you might find in a Japanese manga.

Is there any sort of world or situation you wanted to include, but weren’t able to? What would it have entailed?

Akitoshi Kawazu: We were working on designing worlds that were entirely mechanical or had a strong connection with music.

SaGa Emerald Beyond is available on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and a demo is out now.

The post Interview: How SaGa Emerald Beyond Took Shape appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s a big year for Monster Hunter as a series, as we’ve not only started to see more Monster Hunter Wilds news, but both Monster Hunter Stories and Monster Hunter Stories 2 are heading to more platforms. To learn more about the latest remaster and port, Siliconera got a chance to talk with Producer Yoshihiro Akira and Art Director Takahiro Kawano about the games getting a new chance at fresh audiences.

Jenni Lada: Monster Hunter Stories is about eight years old now. What sorts of challenges did that pose when preparing it for the Switch, PS4, and PC?

Yoshihiro Akira: Because Monster Hunter Stories was an older title, it took a lot of effort to bring it to current platforms. Programmers had to decipher the source code to develop the game. The biggest problem we faced was the user interface. The Nintendo 3DS version had two screens, including a touch screen, and even the mobile version was designed for touch controls. We have rebuilt the controls based on the user interface of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin so that Monster Hunter Stories can be played comfortably on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam.

In addition, in order to allow players who have played the game in the past to enjoy it again, we created a fully voiced version of the game to deepen immersion in the scenario, which was well received, and a Museum mode containing design artwork to help users fall in love with the series even more.

It was already confirmed that Title Update 1.20 and 1.30 will be included in the Monster Hunter Stories Switch, PS4, and PC versions. Will any other quality of life features inspired by the sequel appear in the game?

Akira: The user interface was rebuilt based on the controls of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. In addition, we have incorporated features to make it easier to play based on our experience with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, such as gathering materials while riding your monstie and the Quick Heal.

How deep into the archives did you go to prepare its Museum Mode, and which piece of insight into its development are you most excited to have preserved for people to see?

Akira: Fortunately, the archives were well organized and preserved at the time, so it made things a lot easier. If you visit the Museum after playing the story, you will have a better understanding of the character design ideas that sadly did not make it into the game and the images that were created to design the maps, allowing users to enjoy the Museum mode even more.

In particular, the map images will give you a better understanding of the many wonderful designs that were used to create the world of Monster Hunter Stories. Please also take a look at the comments made by the staff at that time!

How will the amiibo-exclusive monsters be handled for the Monster Hunter Stories remaster, given the amiibo for the 3DS game never appeared outside Japan?

Akira: The amiibo functions will be carried over as is. The Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin amiibo can also be used to acquire content. What you can get though....you will have to wait and see!

Likewise, how will the Monster Hunter Stories 2 amiibo bonuses be handled on the PS4?

Akira: It is not possible to obtain this with the PlayStation 4 version.

Which monster design for Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel are you most proud of? Likewise, which Monstie do you wish you could have included in the series?

Takahiro Kawano: The Monster Hunter Stories series features monsters from the Monster Hunter franchise, and while we rarely design new monsters, we did create original monsters for the final bosses of both games. I can't go into detail about this due to spoilers, but please check them out for yourself! A monster I’d like to introduce to the series would be a very large monster like Lao-Shan Lung. It would be difficult to incorporate it into an RPG style game, but I’m sure it would be fun if we could make it happen.

What would you like to potentially do in, say, a Monster Hunter Stories 3 if given the chance to make it?

Akira: I think the core being a Monster Hunter title that is easy to play for those who are not good at action games and those who like turn-based RPGs will remain the same. It would be nice to be able to evolve the series in such a way that we can keep the strong elements and change things that need to be changed.

The Monster Hunter Stories remaster will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC on June 14, 2024. It is also available on the 3DS and mobile devices. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin releases on the PS4 on June 14, 2024, and it is available now on the Switch and PC.

The post Interview: Preparing Monster Hunter Stories 1 and 2 for New Platforms appeared first on Siliconera.

Leading up to the first anniversary of the hololive Advent, Siliconera got a chance to talk to each of the members of the generation, and that includes Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard. Like Shiori Novella, Koseki Bijou, and Nerissa Ravencroft, the twins talked about their experiences with hololive. They also discussed what it is like to stream as a duo and their recent move to Japan.

Jenni Lada: Congratulations on your move to Japan! How difficult was it to make such a big move while also handling streaming responsibilities?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard:It was really tricky! We definitely can’t say we recommend it, ahaha! We did our best to deal with the sudden limitations of the cardboard box we were staying in temporarily while we looked for our doghouse, but for us, the most difficult and frustrating part was not being able to spend more time together with our Ruffians while streaming. Of course we made sure to still stay close through Twitter and other means, but it just wasn’t the same as being live... After spending time together with the Ruffians almost everyday for well over half a year, it was a bit of a shock to our systems! We still had lots of Ruffians sending us support and headpats to us online daily, which helped push us through our mountain of quests, especially when they were really ruff on us. We’re really happy to be in our doghouse now! We feel so fortunate to have the Ruffians here supporting us always! They protect our smiles just as much as we do theirs. 

What are you most looking forward to doing now that you two are living in Japan? 

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: We want to be able to grow ourselves lots and lots! Of course we want to get to know our senpai more and to improve our Japanese, but we also hope to be able to take vocal and dance lessons! We want to be able to make use of everything available to us! That’s why we decided to move, so that we could grow ourselves even more and hopefully be able to protect our Ruffian’s smiles even better! Living in Japan has actually been a dream of ours since we were little puppies, but somewhere along the way we had given up on it... It’s been ruff, especially in recent years when we were locked up in The Cell and everything... But thanks to all our Ruffians, we were able to make that dream come true! We still haven’t been able to take advantage of things quite yet since we’re still just getting moved in and aren’t quite comfy yet, but we’re really looking forward to learning lots and lots and all the exciting things still to come! 

A number of your goals at debut involved getting to take part in things like the Odaiba Tokyo Idol Festival or be in a manga. How do you feel your relocation will help with some of these?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: To be honest, we don’t know if it’s going to help us get closer to our dreams at all! All we can do is our best and make the most of every moment we have! We’ve felt a bit frustrated at times that we can’t do more, but we really want to show the world that we’re the right dogs for the job when we get thrown a new bone! We’re really excited when we get new opportunities, big or small, and we’re always up to a new experience or challenge! We’ll continue to work like dogs and believe that those big dreams will come true with some hard work! 

How do you feel about the excitement your fans showed over Mister Donut during hololive SUPER EXPO / 5th fes.?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: We were really, really surprised! It’s a wonderful feeling seeing Ruffians from all over the world interested in visiting a place very special to us, and for us to be able to share something that’s brought us so much joy! It looked like the sights you’d see in Akihabara around 15 years ago when a new visual novel went on sale, and it made us feel really warm and nostalgic! We’ve heard that some Ruffians from overseas who can’t speak Japanese have been able to communicate with other Ruffians at Mister Donut by BAU BAUing together, so it makes us happy to hear that “BAU BAU” can transcend languages and bring everyone together! We really want Ruffians to be good friends together and to protect each other's smiles when we’re busy at times with vocal or dance lessons or whatnot! We worry sometimes because Ruffians can be, well you know, a little bit ruff, but we know that there is a lot of fluffy and fuzziness deep down too! So it makes us really happy to see everyone getting along, creating things together, and just being a very warm and loving family! We do feel a bit bad because the pon-de-rings are always sold out though... bau bau... If they don’t have any in Akihabara, we recommend you check out their other locations, like in Asakusa or Ginza! 

One of your streaming fixtures is the FuwaMoco Morning Show. How did you two come up with the idea for it?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: We’ve actually wanted to do FUWAMOCO MORNING since before we joined hololive! We really liked the idea of sharing mornings together with our Ruffians since sometimes mornings can be really ruff. We thought that if we had a morning show, we could all wake up early, have a paw-sitive start to the day, and share happy and healthy lives! That’s also why we have some of the viewer-submitted corners as a part of our show, because we want our Ruffians to go out for regular walks and be able to enjoy the world they live in! We really enjoy a good walk ourselves and we want to see what your world is like too! We’re so happy that many Ruffians decide to share their mornings with us and that we’re able to start your day off on the right paw! We’re almost at our 100th episode, but we hope we can continue to do so for many more episodes into the future. 

What kinds of challenges do you feel come from there being two of you working together for your streams? Do you ever encounter any kinds of technical issues because of it? 

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: Our technical setup is actually pretty complicated! We don’t think there are any other members in hololive who have a similar setup to us just because there are two of us! We’ve never said it before, but we almost weren’t able to debut on time because of the issues we were having... Luckily we were able to solve things and everything went on without a hitch! Because there are two of us it makes for a lot of problems that you wouldn’t think should be problems, and unfortunately we’re the only ones who can solve them. We have to get creative sometimes! As for challenges because we’re always working together, that’s never a problem for us! There are times where we do bump heads, but it’s usually just over something silly like we have the same idea or vision for a project and just aren’t communicating it to each other very well. We’re always each other's biggest support though! We’re the fluff and the fuzz! 

Likewise, are there any perks that come from having someone else always around to help with streams?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: We’re able to share the workload between each other on some things, which is really handy! Usually Mococo is more in charge of the technical aspect and game play and Fuwawa takes care of audio and reading comments more! Ruffians also get very curious about which one of us writes tweets and other messages, but it’s almost always both of us! Maybe it’s just Fuwawa’s paws who typed it out, but Mococo approved it and decided to add this or that to it! But no matter how many times we explain it, they don’t seem to get it... We think it’s really silly! What’s hard to understand about it, huh? (laughs) We also have lots of fun planning new ideas together that we think the Ruffians could get excited about... If we’re not streaming or working on projects, we’re almost always thinking up new ideas! 

You two are at over 800,000 subscribers on YouTube at this point. Do you have any special plans for when you hit the 1 million mark?

Fuwawa and Mococo Abyssgard: We’re hoping that we can do something really special, but more than anything, we just want to spend such a momentous occasion together with the Ruffians! Hitting 1 million subscribers on YouTube has always been a huge dreams of ours since we debuted, but we’ve always said that more than reaching that goal, it’s the journey that’s important to us, so we want to have a bunch of fun together with our Ruffians while on that journey and make that dream come true altogether, the FUWAMOCO way! 

You can follow Fuwawa and Mococo on social media and catch their streams on their YouTube channel.

The post Interview: Hololive’s Fuwawa and Mococo Talk Streaming, Moving to Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

All of the hololive Advent Vtubers are about to hit a big milestone. In July 2024, they’ll all have been with the company for a full year. In addition to talking to Shiori Novella and Koseki Bijou, Siliconera spoke with Nerissa Ravencroft about her time in hololive and affection for it, as well as her musical aspirations.

Jenni Lada: Now that you’ve been with hololive for a few months, how are you feeling? Is being a part of Advent what you expected it to be?

Nerissa Ravencroft:I love hololive, so the fact I'm here is still a blessing to me everyday. I get to wake up and do something I love everyday, so it makes me really, really happy. As for Advent, I truly know I've made some life-long friends in this group of amazing girls, so having them here with me every step of our journeys is a really exciting experience!

You’re known for your love, respect, and appreciation for your coworkers. Who haven’t you gotten to collaborate with yet or meet that you’d love to work with on a stream?

Nerissa Ravencroft: I haven't really gotten to collab with a lot of JP senpai, so I'd be really happy to work together more all of them! Specifically, I'd really love to collab with (Houshou) Marine-senchou-senpai and (Oozora) Subaru-senpai. I've been able to collab with (Hakui) Koyori-senpai before, but I'd also love to get closer to her! (Tokoyami) Towa-senpai was also really kind, so I'd like to collaborate and become better friends.

You’ve become quite well known for your song covers. What does the process look like for preparing them? How do you determine what you would like to work on, and about how long does it take to present one?

Nerissa Ravencroft: Honestly, singing is my greatest passion. With it being a passion, I really want to do covers of songs I'm passionate about, rather than singing it because it is popular. Usually, I need to find a song I love and, I'd I'm writing English lyrics, I need to find some inspiration! Then, after recording is done, it's all about finding someone to do the instrumental, mixing, art, and music video. This process can be really fast, but it can also take up to 2 months depending on how fast everything gets turned in!

Whose music would you love to cover going forward?

Nerissa Ravencroft: I've already gotten to sing a lot of songs I love by producers I love (Kikuo, Pinocchio-P, Deco*27), but I haven't really gotten to sing anything by Giga yet. I've been a fan for a long time, so I'd love to cover one of his songs!

How would you feel about potentially getting to release your own EP or LP album?

Nerissa Ravencroft: As if now, I've released my first every original sing, “Say My Name!” My goal eventually is to release a full album, so I hope I have the opportunity to someday.

Your family and their appearances have become a fairly regular fixture on your channel. How did it come up that they would join you? Did you experience any issues with them getting to also appear? And how do they feel about their designs that you came up with?

Nerissa Ravencroft: My family is a really big part of my life, but I didn't really expect them to be apart of my content at first. But, because we are close, I can't really help but want to show them off a bit~ regarding their designs, I actually really love doing character design stuff! So it was really fun ti draw them, and then to see so much of the community bring them to life in drawings!

What would you most like to achieve leading up to your first anniversary with Hololive?

Nerissa Ravencroft: One of my big goals was to release my first original song before my anniversary. Since Ive successfully done so,, I guess I hope I can reach 700,000 before my anniversary! 

You can follow Nerissa Ravencroft on social mediaand catch her streams on her YouTube channel.

The post Interview: Nerissa Ravencroft Talks About Her Music and Love for Hololive  appeared first on Siliconera.

The five hololive Advent Vtubers will be celebrating their first anniversary with Cover in July 2024, and Siliconera caught up with members like Koseki Bijou to talk about their experience so far. In her case, we got a chance to hear about what it’s like to attend events, stream games, and what she’d like to accomplish in the future.

Jenni Lada: What’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do or the thing that you’re most happy about in your first year?

Koseki Bijou: Is it already almost a year? WOW it went by so quickly!! The coolest thing ever is just realizing that I'M HERE! and I feel so blessed to be here too! Being able to share my interests and enjoy playing games in front of people is mind boggling. People like watching ME? Playing VIDEO GAMES? That's just crazy to think about! I love it when people tell me that they've bought a game because they enjoyed watching me have so much fun playing it. It's the best feeling ever!

You’re quite adept at Souls-like games. What got you interested in the genre and what tips do you have for people?

Koseki Bijou: I like a challenge! I actually picked up Dark Souls III on a whim and didn't really think too much about it, it was just a game series that I wanted to try. But I fell in love with it and all Souls-like games! There's nothing quite like the feeling of finally beating a boss after hours of struggle! It's the best! I guess my tips for people is don't treat your deaths as failures. Treat them as you're learning the fight and the moves. Enjoy the experience! When I go into a boss fight not thinking about beating it as quickly as possible (unless speedrunning or something) I'm going in to have fun!

Your use of memes and way of playing around with them have resulted in phrases like “Biboo tax” and your “Gyatt for the Rizzler” take on the meme song becoming known outside the hololive fandom. What led to you coming up with that?

Koseki Bijou: I think I'm pretty active in keeping up with current memes and I guess that knowledge helps. But a lot of the memes surrounding me are stuff that stuck within the community! Silly moments just naturally became memes, and those are actually my favorite ones because they remind me of the moments and streams surrounding them!

What was it like going to events? Is there anything you like to do to prepare?

Koseki Bijou: It's really fun! The thing that gets me the most is being able to see everyone! When I'm streaming, I don't actually realize the amount of people watching! It's a different experience streaming and talking to chat and actually seeing all the Pebbles in person! It's a really meaningful experience for me! My favorite parts are the meet and greets where I could talk to Pebbles one on one! I don't really have a set routine to prepare me for these events, but one habit I like to do is take notes about the event before and after! I have fun little notes about all the Pebbles I meet so I can remember the experience!

What game or game would you like to play that you haven’t had a chance to yet?

Koseki Bijou: As you know, I really love Souls and challenging games! THE one game that I really wanted to play and haven't gotten a chance to yet is Bloodborne! I heard that it's a fan favorite among FromSoft games so I'm really itching to try it one day!! I'm also looking forward to the Elden Ring DLC as well!

What is your dream collab within hololive?

Koseki Bijou: Within hololive I wanna collab with my JP-senpai! I'm still a bit shy and the language barrier is my biggest struggle, but I'm doing my best to learn Japanese because I really admire them and want to talk with them properly and play games together! I think my dream collab would be with Towa-senpai because she's SO cool!!

You can follow Koseki Bijou on social media and catch her streams on her YouTube channel.

The post Interview: Hololive Advent Vtuber Koseki Bijou Talks About Games and Events appeared first on Siliconera.

Cover’s hololive Advent Vtubers all debuted back in July 2023, and the group is about to celebrate its first anniversary in this year. One of its most creative members is Shiori Novella, who encourages her community to write, made her own game, and has been singing in addition to her regular activities. Siliconera got a chance to talk with her, as well as others in her generation, about her activities and hopes for the future. 

Jenni Lada: First, congrats on reaching 500,000 subscribers on YouTube! What are your next goals as hololive Advent nears its first anniversary?

Shiori Novella: Though I may not be the most proficient singer, I want to sing more simply because it’s fun! The process of being able to collaborate with many talented folks for a project to ensure my vision becomes a reality is a thrill.

Moreover, I want to dabble more in more Unity projects. 3D scenes are a joy to create as it’s a way to craft my own little world. I love the idea of getting my community involved in all sorts of ways, whether it’s using their art for the 3D environments I make or designing a world just for them to visit in the future in VRChat. 

A lot of your streams have ended up being informational and even educational, such as the microscope stream you did not long after your debut and the one you did helping people figure out what they may need to create video content. How do you decide what to discuss? 

Shiori Novella: I selected the microscope slides beforehand and had assistance in researching fun trivia for each one. Preparing the PowerPoints ahead of time helps organize the direction of the discussion as well, otherwise I may steer into various tangents unrelated to the topic.

At the end of the day, it’s a collaborative effort because of how overwhelming preparation can be. Doing everything alone is stressful enough as it is with how easily things can go wrong.

You mentioned wanting to do some travel videos and, in the past, shared a Tropical Cruise Vlog. Where would you like to go for future streams?

Shiori Novella: Switzerland! Ireland holds an allure to me too. I suppose anywhere in Europe would be interesting as I would enjoy touring its castles and quaint villages. I enjoy preserving the memories I make – and making videos is a fun way to do that. They’re like little time capsules of all the good times – and perhaps even bad ones associated with it to be honest.

Back in February 2024, you released your first visual novel. When did development start on it?

Shiori Novella: I can’t remember! I’m pretty sure it could’ve been as early as September, but it might not have solidified completely until perhaps October. 

What did the development process look like for Snowed In, considering everything else you do on a daily basis?

Shiori Novella: It started with just an idea. ‘I want to make a visual novel!’ was what I pitched to my manager.

From there, it was brainstorming what topic would be straightforward with as little complications as possible. Initially we wanted to have a cozy winter theme as the original launch date was meant to be December, so that train of thought landed us to the topic of ‘hot pots.

Then came teamwork. I had a wonderful team help out with every step of the way. We worked on the UI, programming, and story together. A basic outline was crafted, sections were modified or removed, a list of assets needed were decided, artists were brought on, and the programmer did their thing.

If you got a chance to create another Hololive game, what sort of idea or story would you like to pursue?

Shiori Novella: A rhythm game involving all of Advent! I thought it would be fun to weave everyone’s lore into each stage. Of course, it’s still an idea that has to be finalized though.

Would you ever consider writing a novel and, if so, what sort of themes or story would you like to tell?

Shiori Novella: I don’t think I’d dabble into novels to be honest! I’m satisfied with snippets of stories because they’re easier to manage in terms of both time and motivation. Plus, if I write a novel, it would turn into a massive self-inserted tale more for myself rather than the audience!

You can follow Shiori Novella on social media and catch her streams on her YouTube channel.

The post Interview: Hololive Advent Vtuber Shiori Novella Shares Her Creative Goals appeared first on Siliconera.

After talking with other Holostars Tempus members Shinri Josuiji, Machina x Flayon, and Banzoin Hakka, Siliconera got a chance to talk with the leader of the squad Gavis Bettel after Hololive SUPER EXPO 2024. In addition to insights about the event and Japan, Bettel discussed ambitions, plans, and about the newcomers in Armis.

Jenni Lada: So, how did hololive SUPER EXPO 2024 go?

Gavis Bettel: It went really well, it was great seeing all the fans! It was very touching talking to them all and seeing how my stupid self can make so many people so happy!

What was the best part of the trip to Japan?

Gavis Bettel: My favorite part of the trip? The flight home. Just kidding! 

Honestly, anytime I was with the TEMPUS boys was by far my favorite experience. I loved getting to know them better and making unforgettable memories with each of them. Even though I hate them.

Now that the new generation of the Holostars English branch is here, how do you feel your relationship is with the newest members of the group compared to the ones you formed with your senpais Regis Altare and Axel Syrios?

Gavis Bettel: The ARMIS boys have been a refreshing breeze of fresh air! I enjoy all of them very much and am looking forward to getting to know them better! It's a much different experience being a senpai opposed to when I was too terrified to talk to Altare or Axel.

You got your new outfit back in February 2024. How involved were you in the design process?

Gavis Bettel: I had an original concept that I gave to my mama, and she took it and shaped it into something extraordinary! I am beyond happy with the result, and glad my mama was in charge of the creative process. (The plunging neckline was my idea though.)

What are some things you want to achieve in 2024?

Gavis Bettel: I want to reach new heights when it comes to my streaming endeavors. I want the world to know the name “Gavis Bettel,” and become a name that is respected in EVERY HOUSEHOLD! In actuality, I want to release more music, get singing lessons,

and above all become more efficient and productive at streaming. This job makes me very happy, and I want to do all that I can to the best of my ability!

Do you have a message for your fans?

Gavis Bettel: Thank you for enduring the countless abuse that I throw at you every single day! It means a lot to me, and if I have made you cry in the past, I am sorry! I tolerate you all so much, and it's always a pleasure to sometimes see you all! Take care of yourselves please!

People can find Gavis Bettel’s updates on social media and his streams on YouTube.

The post Interview: Gavis Bettel Talks Japan, Holostars, and Goals appeared first on Siliconera.

A week after the launch of FFVII Rebirth, I got to sit down with actor Cody Christian, who performed the voice of Cloud Strife in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy. In our interview, the actor talked about the impact Advent Children had on his performance, what it was like to be turned into a Moogle, and how he used his acting career to bring a beloved video game character to life. Here is my interview with Cody Christian:

Brent Koepp: How much did the original FFVII inform your performance as Cloud in Rebirth?

Cody Christian: I think the key thing in what you just said was "informed." I had to do a lot of prep work and, honestly, just seek the right information, especially going into my performance in Final Fantasy VII Remake. But for me, at least the first iteration of the game in 1997, I didn't grow up playing Final Fantasy. I knew of it. I have an older brother who is very, very heavily involved in JRPGs in general and a lot of what Japanese culture has to offer. So he kind of pointed me in the right direction. The very first thing that I did - because I didn't have access to play it myself - is I watched an entire playthrough of the original Final Fantasy 7.

And then that led me down just a path of getting informed. I read all the information provided in text about the game. And then this obviously led me to watch Final Fantasy Advent Children, which I watched multiple times. So, all of that to say, I acquired as much information as I could about Cloud, knowing that there still had to be a part of me that added Cody to it. And the main goal with that was to get informed and know who this guy is inside and out or at least how he's been depicted because the benefit is the character isn't brand new.

We've seen Cloud. We know Cloud and the fan base attached to it. There's history, and there's lore to the character. So it's just about doing the work and then feeling comfortable enough that I knew what I needed to know so I can add the little drops of what I wanted to the character, which was just humanizing Cloud. I mean, yeah, in moments, he's an undefeatable Soldier who can tackle the world, but at the end of the day, he's still a human being. So that was kind of my priority in regards to portraying him.

Compared to FFVII Remake, Cloud has a lot of really emotional moments in Rebirth. I was wondering what kind of challenges you faced portraying this side of the character, who is normally more tough and emotionless at times.

Cody Christian: It actually wasn't a challenge at all. The bigger challenge was to identify and build on this character that is usually erring on stoicism. A character that is guarding his heart and emotions by choice because that's not who he is to the core. So, for Final Fantasy VII Remake, I think that it was more of a challenge to feel everything that was going on in the story, but to not externalize it with the character.

With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, having the incredible material written by those in charge of the project was the most important. Those in charge of crafting the story and writing the scripts paved the way for my performance. Like listen, at the end of the day, I like to take a lot of ownership of how I portray Cloud. But I'd still just show up like many other people. So I have to tip my hat to the writers for providing a landscape for us to just really flesh these characters out and give this story what it deserves cinematically in 2024.

I have always been an actor first, that I know. And I've been acting for over two decades. I'm 28 years old. So, to have an opportunity in FFVII Rebirth and the support from the writers within the project to say yes, let's "perform," and let's tell a story that we want people playing to be so engaged that they feel what we want them to feel. That's everything to me, man. So I'm so happy to see our performance being received well from fans and critics.

Rebirth has many emotional moments, for sure. As someone who played the original game back in 1997, I got choked up in a few places due to the acting performances in the game. I love the original and consider it a masterpiece. But the cutscenes were limited to text to a degree. So to see how far you've guys taken the story in FFVII Rebirth is amazing.

Cody Christian: So many people have such a beautiful attachment to Final Fantasy VII. And yeah, the original from 1997 is perfect. But looking at the stunning cutscenes and the animations in Rebirth, you can appreciate it. We live in a time now where we have access to technology, and anything short of what we delivered in the Remake trilogy would have been selling this beautiful game short. It would have been robbing it of what it deserved. So I'm happy that things have been executed the way they have been with Rebirth, where the story kind of shifts.

In FFVII Rebirth, there is more of a focus on Cloud's relationships with the other characters in the story. What was the process behind working with the other cast members?

Cody Christian: I can't speak on all video games, as I have limited experience in the games industry. So I will say this with regards to Rebirth: we didn't get to work with each other in the studio. At least for me, I never got to record with anybody in the flesh. The only time that really happened was if an actor recorded sessions prior and they had the lines from another session, and they would pull them into my recording. And during those times you got to play off of the other actors.

But we've been doing this since 2019, which is like, five years? So the entire cast has known each other enough, and we've grown close enough that we have that connection. So if I'm reading a scene, say, for example, with Barret, I know the actor John Bentley so well that I can almost imagine and create that story in my head of how John is going to play it. And that sort of thing only comes with time and actors becoming comfortable with each other.

But man, I wish! I would love to act with the other cast members in a room. Listen, if there's ever the chance for this, if there is ever like a new Final Fantasy VII animated series of these characters where we could all be in the same room and be bantering back and forth, I would jump at the opportunity to do that! But for Rebirth, the process is a bit more precise and methodical during the recording process. So we didn't really get a chance.

What was your favorite Cloud moment in FFVII Rebirth? Or do you have any favorite acting moments in the game?

Cody Christian: Oh man [laughs]. Okay, so I have a couple. There is this moment where Cloud goes and gets transformed into a cute Moogle. He's flying around, and he can only say "Kupo." I absolutely lost it in that recording session. Because recording that scene was a good two hours or so. So, for those two hours, imagine me in this scenario having to play Cloud, looking like a tiny cute Moogle but trying to communicate with one word over and over again.

I remember this moment because we had to record about 10 lines of "Kupo" back to back to back to back, but each "Kupo" had a different intention behind it. It was just a crazy experience [laughs]. So, that was definitely a highlight for me. The other highlight that I thoroughly enjoyed as an actor was the part of the story where there's a shift in Cloud's behavior after Sephiroth gets his hands on him a little bit too much, and he starts to become a bit more unhinged.

These scenes become a game of cat and mouse, and there are interesting exchanges between Cloud and Tifa or Cloud and Aerith. During these moments, these characters get to see the side of Cloud, which is almost scary. Because it's like, is Cloud there, or is he not there? There's, like, this underlying tone of sinisterness which is something I never thought I would get to play when portraying this character. So, to dabble in that was a blast for me as an actor. I hope it looks cool in the final performance.

How much do you feel Cloud has changed from Remake to FFVII Rebirth?

Cody Christian: When Remake first came out, the concept of 'we are going to take one game and let it exist among three titles' kind of showed the landscape and how massive this project was going to be. Now, we are talking about 300 hours or more of a character's story being told across multiple arcs. The scope of that is crazy. So, understanding that this story was going to take some time to unfold and that we're going to have a different Cloud in 1, 2, and 3 - that was communicated to me before I jumped into this game.

So I kind of knew that this guarded, cold, and stoic Cloud was going to be shifting. And we're going to get to tackle a little bit more vulnerability. We're going to get to tackle a little bit more of the intimate side of Cloud's relationships. A true humanizing of "who is this" person behind the Buster Sword, if you will. So, in regards to prepping for this role, it was more of a mindset. It was an attitude shift. There was a comfortability I brought into FFVII Rebirth that I didn't have in Remake simply because of experience, pressure, and expectations.

Look, you try to silence all the chit-chat surrounding this role. But inevitably, this kind of thing is going to creep up on you. So, the first game was what it was. But with Rebirth, I finally got out of my head about the fact that I'm not like a fraud with regards to the voice acting thing. I dropped the whole voice aspect, and I'm like, I'm just acting in a different medium now. And that helped me tremendously. And this type of storytelling, like, let's see this tough badass man that will slice through six people, who will then also break down and cry - that's my bread and butter as an actor. I absolutely loved to do this role. I was even more excited that I actually had the support from the people making the choices for this game.

I can only do much. So the fact that I had the support from the creators of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth of "yes, let's make these characters feel real," let's make this story feel powerful, let's flesh out these iconic moments from the original game, and let's treat it in a cinematic way. This is a cinematic universe. It doesn't matter that you are playing and have a controller in your hand. When I look at this game, I can imagine it on a 100-foot IMAX screen. Because it justifiably exists there. So I just think having that approach with myself and everybody involved really meant everything. I always tip my hat to my director, Kirk. That's my man. I feel very safe in his hands and I felt guided in the right ways and able to perform. Without him and everyone else, we wouldn't have been able to do this. I'm just grateful his second game allowed us to do all that.

You said you had watched Advent Children and other FFVII Compilation titles in the lead-up to Rebirth. How much did those versions of Cloud influence your take on the character? Or did you treat Cloud in the Remake trilogy as a new version of him?

Cody Christian: I think inevitably, just because the character has already been established and I'm not the first person to have my hands on the role - Cloud is Cloud. Cloud exists outside of me and anybody that were to breathe life into him. So, with that said, there is due diligence to remove yourself enough to play the authenticity of the character first. And whether that be something I agree with or not, I'm not important in that conversation because the character and his authenticity take precedence over what I feel. So, with that being said, inevitably, there are going to be things that shine through in whatever iteration where Cloud shows up because that's Cloud.

But my goal is to play Cloud as truthfully as possible, but then add my own little interpretation. I've said this before, but my little interpretation is, "Make this guy feel like a human." Because at the end of the day, when he takes all of his armor off and puts the sword down, and if he was sitting in this living room right now across from a Tifa or across from an Aerith, and they are talking about whatever - that's what I imagine. I really put my head in this place where I go: "Cloud's existing here and now. What would that feel like?"

In a way, it's kind of crazy because I took my experience in the acting world, and I kind of just looked at it when I went to record like, "What if I was going into a big-budget action film?". That's kind of what I thought, in a way. What if I went into the trailer, put Cloud's shoulder pads on, and had a prop sword over my back? Like, really, I just kind of imagined what that would look like. But more importantly, what would that feel like? And I tried to emulate that and put it into a microphone and crossed my fingers. I hope it works! [Laughs]

Did you get to hear the original Japanese voice actor's performance for FFVII Rebirth before recording your take on Cloud for the English version of the game?

Cody Christian: Most of the recording process is done first in Japan. Everything is animated, rendered, recorded, and written in Japan. They have their hands on the game first, and they set the entire tone and precedence for the project. Then it comes to us. And basically, I have to match my performance after that line is translated to make sense in the Western world. And we have to match whatever kind of time slot, generally, that they've carved out and they've created. And it gets very very precise in regards to recording the line in over and under two milliseconds.

Maybe they will stretch this time slot for you, and you will get five milliseconds. So you have to exist in this window that has already been created. So with that, almost every line I get to hear the Japanese interpretation. And even though I don't fully know what's going on all the time, I can hear the emotion. And then I have my script lead with me, and I can ask questions if I have any. But I get to hear the tonality and the emotional life behind what's being said in Japanese first, which, more times than not, dictates how we do it on our end. It's been a cool experience, and I've been heavily influenced by what they are creating in Japan. I feel really attached to the world they've created in a way. I don't know if that sounds stupid, but I want to be out there. I want to be immersed in that environment and what they are doing.

FFVII Rebirth is now available on the PlayStation 5.

The post Interview: How Cody Christian ‘Humanized’ Cloud in FFVII Rebirth appeared first on Siliconera.

On the day the reviews for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth came out, I was lucky enough to sit down with the game's director, Naoki Hamaguchi. During our hour-long discussion, the passionate developer touched on the challenges of remaking a beloved classic JRPG, how side characters like Cissnei were added to the game, and his feelings about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's bold ending.

However, what stood out to me the most in this conversation was that Hamaguchi, above all else, is a massive fan of the original Final Fantasy VII. Like millions of players worldwide, the Japanese developer fell in love with the PlayStation classic when he first played it in high school. Decades later, the fan has now been given the opportunity to lead the modern retelling of Final Fantasy 7, and he truly understands the weight of the project and what it means to so many players. Here is my discussion with Hamaguchi-san.

Brent Koepp: How challenging was it staying faithful to the original Final Fantasy VII story while also using Rebirth to make changes to tell a new story?

Naoki Hamaguchi: So, seeing that this is a trilogy - and of course, in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we were able to tell this story and express this in great detail - I think this was a very satisfying experience for players. But if we were just to have a sort of continuation, the same way along the second and third title, I think it would be difficult to sustain interest in the players.

We believed that it was important to enact some changes and differences within the remake series that are quite different from the original Final Fantasy 7. This is depicted by the Whispers and their presence within Remake, and for Rebirth, Zack becomes a key figure in this position of sort of symbolizing change. In that way, keeping this kind of excitement and anticipation as we move forward toward the following title in the trilogy, I believe, was quite important for us.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a diverse amount of different gameplay sections. Such as Barret using his gun to clear blocked paths or Yuffie using her grappling hook for traversal. How important was it to give each character their own section of the game?

Naoki Hamaguchi: So, when we kind of think about the Final Fantasy VII story in general, of course, it kind of centers around Cloud. Within the original, he was the central character, and there are no moments where you can remove Cloud from the party. He's somewhat always there. FF7 has a feast of wonderful characters, each with so many fans around them, and we took into consideration that some of the fans of the other team members may not always wish to play as Cloud, and they may want to play with their favorite character. So we kind of took this into mind while still keeping Cloud as a protagonist within the story of Rebirth.

We wanted to find a way where we could let the unique characteristics of each team member shine in ways in which they can use their unique skills. Whether that's finding their way out of a dungeon or in combat. So, in thinking about this, I worked together with Nojima-san to discuss the overall game structure. From there, I had my own requests, like I would like to do "this area, this certain way with these specific characters," and I had these sorts of suggestions. And so we went from there, and that's how the different character sections in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth came to be.

Many supporting characters didn’t originally appear in Final Fantasy VII, such as Cissnei, who show up in Rebirth. How did you choose which characters from other games would appear?

Naoki Hamaguchi: So, in terms of Cissnei in particular, speaking on the Remake series as a whole, so Rebirth and Remake, we definitely wanted to incorporate characters from Final Fantasy VII Compilation titles. But we also wanted to have them be introduced in a way that isn't abrupt to players who are experiencing the game. We wanted the supporting characters to align with the storyline of the Remake series. And that was definitely intentional on our end.

As far as Cissnei's character, when we received Nojima-san's initial script for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, you know she was already written within the plot. And I think this was also to do with Zack and Cissnei's explosive popularity among the community, too. So, their presence in the game was confirmed early on in marketing. And I, too, was excited when I found out that she appears in Rebirth, and I read her in the script. I was pretty surprised. I was like, "Wow, she's really in here!"

Overall, I think Cissnei being added was a great result, and we had positive feedback about that. And within the game's quests as well, we wanted to have it not only be quests for the sake of it being a quest. But through these, we wanted to show more of the characters' backgrounds. We wanted to explore "How do people live in this world of FF7?" That was something we really wanted to dig into for this title. Having characters from Remake that people wanted to see again, such as Kyrie, was also important. We wanted to be able to show more of these characters and touch more on their backstory.

As a side note, right up to when we showed the final trailer for Rebirth and were doing other press interviews, we had so many comments and questions from the media and fans asking, "Is Cissenei going to be in Rebirth?". [Laughs] And, of course, I couldn't say anything until the final trailer came out! This is the first time actually getting to talk about it. I'm so happy I finally get to talk about her.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has many emotional moments. There were certain story moments that got me choked up. How did working with voice actors allow you to expand on key pivotal scenes from the original game?

Naoki Hamaguchi: The Japanese voice recording is quite essential in that we have a director who specifically directs the voice actors. Since this deals with the game's characters, Nomura-san and Toriyama-san are also involved in making sure that the characteristics and essence of each character are captured faithfully by the voice actors. So we will look into even the finer details, such as how long a character speaks, each utterance, or the tones of their voices.

And we will make sure the performance is fitting of the character. We will all kind of work on this. Once this is complete and we have the Japanese voices, we then pass this on to other regions for them to record in their own languages. And so, the Japanese voice is always the foundation with which we would like other languages and voices to align. So, other recordings in different languages are kind of done with the original Japanese voices in mind. In that way, the original Japanese recording was a key part.

One of Rebirth's most exciting features is the Affinity system and how characters feel towards Cloud. Will decisions players make in Rebirth carry over to the next game? Or are these relationships and choices more specific to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

Naoki Hamaguchi: So in terms of whether Affinity will carry on from Rebirth to the following title, while I am unable to speak or divulge further or answer clearly on this topic, of course, we want to continue to explore the relationship between Cloud and himself, and his relationship with other characters. So, of course, whether that will be done in the form of another Affinity system or something else, that is something to be looked forward to. But that is something we are not exploring at this time.

At the end of Final Fantasy VII Remake, there is a massive surprise when Zack is revealed to be still alive. Without getting into story spoilers, are you excited to see how fans will react to the ending of Rebirth? Nervous?

Naoki Hamaguchi: [Laughs] To answer your question, I would say half-excited, half-nervous. I'm almost 50/50 really! [Laughs] You know, there will be just a ton of varied conjecture and individual interpretation on the ending of Rebirth, so I'm really excited to see what people feel and what kind of emotion players that experience this game will have.

But at the same time, I'm nervous about what they could possibly be thinking. From a creator's perspective, I do think, along with my team, we're very much confident about putting Final Fantasy VII Rebirth out. And so, in that way, I'm very excited and can not wait for the release! So until then, I'm very excited and anticipating to see how the players will take it and what their response will be.

Following the interview, I also had the privilege of attending a special movie screening of Advent Children. Hundreds of fans excitedly packed into the theater to watch the beloved 2005 movie. Those in attendance were stunned when Naoki Hamaguchi himself showed up to the screening to thank them for their support of the franchise.

However, the screening of Advent Children had a much deeper meaning as the Square Enix developer revealed the film's impact on both Remake and Rebirth. According to Hamaguchi and original Final Fantasy VII director Yoshinori Kitase, it was Advent Children that made the team dream of one day bringing Cloud Strife’s story to life with beautiful graphics and a more expanded story.

I walked away from my interview confident that Naoki Hamaguchi and his team are the right people to lead this beloved franchise. Like all of us, he is not only a lifelong fan of Final Fantasy VII, but he also understands what made the original so special. Above all else, Square Enix seems deeply passionate about the remake trilogy, as everyone in the office, from PR to marketing, was on pins and needles, excitedly anticipating Rebirth's launch. As someone who has already beaten Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I can say that the reimagining is not only just as magical as the original, but it somehow manages to surpass it in many ways.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29th, 2024.

The post Interview: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Tells a New Story With a Classic JRPG appeared first on Siliconera.