PlatinumGames' Astral Chain To Be The First Of A Trilogy, Depending On Its Success

Buy buy buy buy

It's just me myself and i ^^^^

They can count on me !

I'm going to buy everything !

A trifecta of awesome is right here

I was not sold on the reveal as in general I don't like the hack and slash gameplay of platinum but at E3 this game rocked like no other. I wouldn't be surprised to see it as GOTY around there if it delivers on its promises

Sweet! That sounds awesome!

I am totally getting the game but I am not a fan of baiting sequels. For one it makes it feel like the game will be incomplete/end on a cliffhanger and that isn’t something you want to know before the game releases. I'd rather get to the end and be frothing at the mouth for more content rather than feeling like I’m buying the first part of the story. Also sequels can go all over the place although PlatinumGames is better than many devs at keeping the story coherent (mostly) during sequels. Otherwise it feels like cut ideas and pressure from the Suits to strike a revenue source while it is popular. (Almost any Ubisoft sequel/series) we shall see how it goes.

Also I really miss stand alone games. Not everything has to be a series.

That's what EA said!

(kinda)

So, let's buy it! 3 Astrals Chains and 3 Bayonettas! Is something really cool to have in the Switch!
I was expecting sequels. After all, if they even hired Katsura to do the designs, they are serious determined to do it a hit.

Let's face it - anyone producing a new narrative IP for any medium is nuts to not plan from the outset for multiple entries.

Hopefully they do the same with NieR Automata. Anyway, I preordered this game a long while ago.

Alright everyone, let’s buy 50 copies each!

I mean, Nintendo owns the IP so...

If I lived somewhere I could get this day 1 I would, but I will be importing it asap after its release.

I'm using one of my vouchers to d/l the game at launch. I hope it does well!

Buying the first 100%

Wait, so if Astral Chain is not a commercial success warranting funding for a sequel, then this game series might end on a cliffhanger in the first game? Thanks for letting me know, so I can hold off buying until I know the publisher made a hundred million on this endeavour.

@BacklogBlues this time, however, it's about possible sequels to the game, not something unrelated or making a port. It makes sense to make more new games if new IP is successful. So here I understand they just want to say that they did not plan is as a single entry only

Now this I don't like. If they plan outright for it to be a trilogy but the second and third games are only happening if it meets some abstract level of success then you risk buying a game that even if you enjoy it, might never get concluded.

Now that can happen with any game no matter the success, just ask fans of Half-Life... but telling us like this is another turn off for me.

By making a sequel openly dependent on sales is pretty irksome.

@BornInNorway81 Well said!

@Heavyarms55

I agree, and thanks!

There are always more interdimensional aliens ready to invade us!

I hate it when devs hold sequels to ransom like this. I think its just stupid. All they need to do is not tell people there will be a sequel until they look at the sales. Then you will not have people up in arms.
Isn't this the proper way of doing it??

@Heavyarms55 I am one of those Half Life people, wish we had orange box/Halflife 3 and Portal 1 & 2 on switch

Lol I think 1 of these crappy games is more then enuff, u can keep the other 2 pieces of 💩

I’m excited for this one. The game seems like a hybrid of Bayonetta and Nier. Can’t wait to play it in August.

Gonna need a demo of this to try it out before I consider buying it tbh. It LOOKS good, but so did Daemon X Machina and that sucked based on the demo .

Seriously can't wait for this

I'll buy it because it looks fun but don't think you can scare me into buying. What kind of ending do you think it'll be? Open or cliffhanger?

It's been on my Radar from the day it was first revealed..

Not everything needs to be a bloody trilogy to be "complete", and I despise the expectation of virtually every film/game series to be a trilogy, even in situations where there aren't enough fresh ideas to sustain one sequel let alone two.

Take The Godfather, for instance. An almost perfect duology, but greed took hold and turned it into an underwhelming trilogy with a rather hideous thorn in its side. While the third doesn't diminish the quality of the first two films, it does taint the body of work as a whole, particularly with the especially jarring eccentric post-Scarface Pacino and post-Annie Hall Keaton, both of whom were looking, sounding, and acting completely differently and being so ironically out of place in their respective iconic roles (along with everything else that's wrong with the film).

It wasn't necessarily a bad film in its own right, but it's an abominable Godfather film.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I hope the developers have a clear vision in mind for Astral Chain's future rather than just announcing an arbitrary trilogy. I'll reserve my cyncism as Nintendo aren't usually in the business of generating sequel after sequel for the sake of it (cough Call of Duty).

I just hope that it isn't rushed to market followed by patches as so many games are nowadays. Am I the only one who takes pleasure in a physical game that maintains its version 1.0 status?

@gcunit I thought EA said something more on the lines of "we like to evaluate which of our content is a good fit for each platform, and we really like the Switch a lot, and we love Nintendo's role in the industry..."

Platinum is good at spanning gaming eras in the aesthetics of their games. This game has got my interest, it hits a few points historically in the Japanese action game catalogue, to me at least

@bigcalsworld I agree that I want to try this game before I buy it. Same with DxM despite the negativity for the earlier demo. Everything I've heard about DxM since then has been about how they took the feedback from the "demo" and have been working to improve the game. Might turn out to be a gem in the end (but maybe not). They really shouldn't have called it a demo, it was more of a play test meant to generate feedback to improve the development from the start. In any case, I'm withholding judgment on both until I can get them in my hands, but Astral Chain does look promising.

It would look bad on Platinum if the story ended on a cliffhanger and then the game flopped.

There’s someone going through this comment section and downvoting all comments that are excited for the games... whoever you are I hope you have as horrible of a day as you are for some reason bitter about this game.

It's funny how people are getting really cross that he is 'holding them to ransom'. He was asked by an interviewer about future content and he said that he has ideas for sequels that he'd make if this is a success. He didn't make a press release saying "Buy this remake if you want a new game!" or anything like that, just stated that he has ideas he hopes he has the opportunity to make. How is it holding you to ransom anyway? If you don't buy the original you wouldn't likely care about a sequel for it. It makes no sense!

Anyone sensible makes a first game/film like this with an ending that provides closure in case they can't go on to make more. The original Star Wars was like this. Or the trilogy could take place concurrently covering different stories from within the same major conflict. Who knows?

We really do live in the age of outrage.

Eh, pretty logical to axe a project is it sells poorly.

@BornInNorway81 just because they are planning for sequels doesn't mean the narrative won't be self contained.

Bayonetta 2 was all but guaranteed, doesn't mean the first entry isn't worth playing by it's lonesome, same for Nier Gestalt, most of Metal Gear etc.

They can count for at least one copy on my behalf, for what it's worth!

@Xelha Most studios already account for the possibility of not getting the chance to make sequels, so they generally strive to make each entry stand on their own, even if they got ideas/plans for further installments. You people are jumping to conclusions.

As for the other bit, definitely not. I can vouch for several direct sequels that absolutely nail it. Ogre Battle 64, Megaman Legends 2, Metal Gear Solid 2 and so on.

Most notably, Bayonetta 2 from the hand of Platinum games themselves, which did not only have a significantly better story than the first, but retroactively made the first story better.

Excellent news! We may end up getting multiple Astral Chain games on Switch! Let's just hope it's a roaring success, as Platinum curse is real. Alot of their best games haven't sold that well, despite being GotY contenders.

@Xelha
This reminds me of when Suda said that if fans wanted to see No More Heroes 3 they needed to buy the rubbish spinoff, only this time PG are going to hold the entire narrative hostage in all probability

1 He didn't say he was holding anything "hostage". A journalist asked him if he had plans for more games, and he said yes, provided this sells well (which should be OBVIOUS)

2 Platinum games aren't heavily narrative based. The Bayonetta trilogy all stand alone as single entries, and this one will too. This isnt Uncharted here, it's an action game

That is good to hear, but, umm, Platinum, respectfully, we are still waiting REAL patiently for Bayonetta 3. Priorities, Platinum, priorities!

That's ambitious, but I hope this does not imply, that anything was held back from the first game. Any game like that, a dev would be wise to treat it as a one-time thing and accordingly go all-out on it!

@YANDMAN That was a cool comment down voters are just hating for no reason lol

Well, I know what my little nephew getting for Christmas... he can grow into it 😂

That is 2 from my end. They always based on sales anyway.

I wish Nier: Automata was a trilogy from day 1

All I hope is that the game’s story is self-contained enough. I’ve played too many games I’ve enjoyed with cliffhanger or sequel-baiting endings only not to get that sequel. Vanquish, Binary Domain are but two such games. Ironically the one I think of most is the Call of Duty Modern Warfare trilogy. The first one had a nicely contained story but didn’t tie up everything. Of course it went on to sell gangbusters so they could end MW2 on a cliffhanger as a 3rd game was a cert.

Honestly shouldn't be a problem reaching whatever the goal is with as much interest is in it. For me, although it looks really good, still want a demo or will be trying it through Gamefly first.

Suda: "The NMH sequel hinges on sales."

Community: "You're holding the series hostage!"

Kamiya: "The AChains sequel hinges on sales."

Community: "Time to buy AChains twice!"

Gaming is wierd sometimes.

This is good news to me.

No DLC.

Potential sequels.

I don’t play Platimum Games’ projects for the story anyway! It’s the style and gameplay. Would Bayonetta (as much as I love it) win awards for its plot?

I'm not holding my breath as this could easily bomb, but I wish them success and will personally be contributing one copy to their sales figures.

It would not make sense to do second for few ppls.
And there goes my bonuses.. and it is already on my shopping list.

this is more of a reason I want Astral Chain to succeed and sell well

So Nintendo can make ultimatums but ea and capcom can't. Got it true nintendo fans.

Good!! Because this game looks awesome

I'm excited for this game, so the potential for sequels is exciting!

Also, can we stop this "they're holding sequels for ransom" nonsense. If a game doesn't sell well, no studio is obligated to spend years and millions of dollars developing a sequel that also likely won't sell well. And as @BionicDodo said, the statement here was just a simple and honest answer to an interview question.

This also doesn't make any sense as a marketing tactic, since the only people interested in a sequel for this game would be the people who were going to buy it in the first place. Yes, sometimes companies use cheap ultimatums to sell their games. But not every statement like this is an ultimatum and people should be able to think through each specific situation before commenting that "they're holding games hostage."

That isn't even to mention the fact that some of the anger comes from assumptions. Wonderful 101 (also Platinum) had a tiny bit of sequel foreshadowing in it, but stood more than well enough on it's own.

@JoeDiddley I've lost faith in gamers' assessment of plot. God Of War had a terrible plot but that won awards. I like the plot to be told through the gameplay anyway.

@roboshort who cares about plots in a game. It's not a movie. Show me the bad guy, let me kill him, the end. Sort of like John wick. No story just action.

A yet another amazing looking Nintendo IP developed by Platinum! Can’t wait for this one! Where is the best place to pre order it physically? (Usually I play digital but this one looks awesome to have physically)

I know I'm being one of those pesky rational people, but this sounds like positive news to me. They've got even more ideas of what they'd like to do, but would rather build those ideas out to more games rather than just DLC.
Mass Effect was announced as a trilogy, yet the story of the first game wrapped into a complete package. What is it here that's saying the same can't happen with Astral Chain. As far as my reading comprehension carries me, this fellow isn't saying that you'll defeat a boss and then be presented with an "Insert Cartridge 2 to Continue" message.
Whatever. I'm buying the game, because it looks like I'd have fun with it. I've got myself covered.

Sounds like a deal to me. I'll happily buy.

@Silly_G

I agree, I’m not a fan of planning a new IP as a trilogy when the IP could die after the first installment.

I’m still waiting on a sequel to Prince of Persia 2008 that I’ll never get because all of the so called PoP fans gave the game so much hate. (Yes, I’m still extremely bitter about that one. 😡)

Sequels can be made without the need to be planned as a trilogy.

@Lumine It's not holding anything ransom. It's called business. If the game doesn't sell well why in the world would they put the resources into making a sequel?

@Superzone13

If they don’t leave a huge cliffhanger and wrap up the story of the first game there will be no need to worry. Unfortunately, a lot of times planned trilogies leave cliffhangers that sour the experience if sequels are never made.

Case in point...Prince of Persia 2008. (Not a trilogy but the same nonetheless)

Disclaimer:
Yes I mentioned it above in another comment, but I’ll never stop expressing my contempt for the so called PoP fans that whined like babies about it not being hard enough. I’ll never get to see the story through because of them. 😑

Buy it now! I need more!

Hope it becomes an success. Still Nintendo bin promoting the game like crazy so I'm hopeful they manage to sell a million copies in august.

Still is their anything that can compete against on the switch that could hurt sales numbers?

@Knuckles-Fajita

Where did you hear that?

@Kang81

Was surprised when we did not even get an hd remaster of the series. I mean the franchise anniversary is this year. Still could be worse as they could have done a mobile game like they did with Sam fisher

@Agramonte It technically is as there are two Nier games before it. Not to mention Nier is a spinoff from an ending in Drakengard/Drag On Dragoon 2. Automata endcaps all the drama from Nier gestalt and replicant rather well.

@Kang81 Well at least we got the DLC for PoP 2008. But honestly PoP has such a fractured fanbase because Ubisoft kept changing artistic direction each game chasing money demographics.

@PCkid Really?

I don't know how this new game would start a trilogy depending on reviews and sales along with two cliffhanger endings from this and the second game.

Day 1 for me. I can tell this game is going to be special. If It's not I'll eat my words. I just hope everyone else buys in early so we get sequels. I also hope its actually as good as i think it will be

And yet, if they said the sequels are already in development and ready to come no matter the sales (which some big companies have done in the past, like EA for example), reactions would be: "LOL they sure are full of themselves, already doing sequels when they don't know if the first one will sell" "Why should I buy the first one if the sequels are going to have more features anyway?".

As someone said, we live in the age of the outrage.

Weird comments section here. I have no idea how some of the above conclusions were arrived at based on the contents of the article. Believe it or not, every sequel that comes out is a result of the financial success of the previous installment. He is just making a very obvious point here.

@Ryu_Niiyama Yeah but they scattered - people need to go on google and figure all that out. Tons will never even know that.

I rather hope for 6 XENOsaga... but only get 3 that finish Shion's story arc before it all got canned. Or play The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel not knowing - if or when - we get the next one in the West.

Shenmue is still suppose to be 12 parts. Shenmue 3 only gets us at 40% of that. but we all still hoping for the best!

No guarantees. But at least this has a tangible goal. If a Hit we get part 2. If not - we get like 3,000 endings from the FanFiction community 😅

Well hopefully it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger in case it doesn’t sell enough to warrant a sequel 😕

@Heavyarms55 @BornInNorway81 @Ryu_Niiyama
I think of it from the perspective that each game is its own stand-alone game but only linked together universe-wise.
Like how you don't really need to play Bayonetta to enjoy Bayonetta 2.

I mean how I wish Nintendo would say the same thing: "We will make 3 Mario Galaxy games if the first one sells well."
Yes, please.
It means we would have been guaranteed a game Mario Galaxy 3 game for the Switch (and beyond).

And even if we don't get the game "because of sales" there is nothing to lose here. We still got the first game.

Even if the game does end on a cliffhanger, we still got a game from it which is better then nothing.

The point is that this is much better then people port begging for Wonderful 101 and a 102 sequel and Bayonetta 3 (which is still coming to fruition.)

Edit: It's not worded well but basically, the developers are in control not the rabbid fans and they are saying they want a win-win for everybody.

@SNES64DD I mean, I understand when the games are effectively just set in the same universe and maybe featuring overlapping characters. But if they plan for a broader narrative from the start, make the first game end on a cliff hangar, and then the game doesn't meet the goals they set for it, everyone who got invested in that story is screwed.

I'm perhaps more resentful of this because, as an anime fan, I have been burned more times than I care to count, with shows that go 1 or 2 seasons and leave the story unfinished, or with the message "just buy the manga/novel" at the end.

@Heavyarms55 I see what you mean but I'm okay with stuff that ends in cliffhangers. Leaves more to the imagination in my eyes.

I'm not just a consumer and plan to become a developer/writer too one of these days so I understand the proposition that they are making.

When writing a story, one wants something that will leave a good taste in the mouth and the consumer desiring more but at the same time it must close a chapter. Its actually quite hard to do.

I assume they are saying this to hype up the game.

When I first saw the game, I was wondering if it was going to be a Trilogy or something because this doesn't look like the sort of world you explore in just one game.

@Heavyarms55 The question is it going to be a pain-in-the-neck and spread over two different versions of Switch's lifecycle or is it going to all be released on one Switch? That's the question.

Edit: I hate it when games do a Xenoblade Chronicles thing where the first game is on one system and the sequel is on the next especially when the first one isn't portable. Its such a pain to not be able to take all of it around with you.

@SNES64DD Well... there is the New 3DS port of it. While it runs well the tiny screen of the 3DS is not ideal for a game like Xenoblade.

@Rhaoulos Nier:automata already is three games. I doubt we'll see those androids again. We need to learn to live with the hot pants in Astral Chain

@Heavyarms55 Yeah. I have the 3DS version as well and still haven't gotten around to playing it. lol.

But yeah. I mean it would suck if half of the series is on the Switch 2, whatever it shall be called, and half not. I don't mind if they re-released the whole collection on the new Switch but its a pain when it isn't like that.

What I would like to see though is a game like Mass Effect where one games outcome effect the next. Now that is a quality trilogy.

@SNES64DD Mass Effect 1-3 remain the only games associated with EA I want on Switch. I hated the fact that they only gave us ME3 on Wii U!

The Switch 2 might well be backward compatible. Personally I think Nintendo would be utterly insane to have it not be. Unless whatever product they release post-Switch is not a Switch 2 but something else entirely. I am sure the possibility of the Switch getting replaced exists, but I would not expect it until 2 or even 3 generations from now. Unless there is some significant technological change that just screams for Nintendo to drop everything and do that.

@Heavyarms55 Ha! Ha! Same. I wouldn't mind other stuff by BioWare as well. Not sure if they own Jade Empire or Microsoft for example.

The Super Nintendo Switch as I like to call it will be backward-compatible but still a pain in the neck no less.

It means I have to upgrade and play the game in a small section of the screen as I doubt it will still be 720p.

Unless Nintendo has somehow changed the business practices of the industry since then of course...

And I mean that they will get third parties to give patches for old games and whatnot on the Switch.

@SNES64DD Naw, I'd bet you a "Super Nintendo Switch" that it would be like all modern devices and have a screen that can change the resolution. No way they do the old school idea of having boarders around the edges like that.

@Heavyarms55 Ha! Ha! I totally forget about that but we'll have to wait and see. I don't even think they need a "Super Nintendo Switch" any time soon tbh.

Just expand into Cloud Gaming and keep cartridges as a medium for interactivity.

Get the first one out the door to critical acclaim first.

Crazy to talk about sequels now... this game has 50/50 written all over it!

@SNES64DD I really don't think cloud gaming is going to work. It requires internet speeds and data amounts that the majority of people just do no have.

@Heavyarms55 The file size for cloud gaming is actually very small. Also it works really well when you have a box to stream from.

Not to mention 5G is just around the corner.

This is why I believe the Switch will only have 2 or 3 generations and Nintendo will go into making some sort of Nintendo phone after that.

@Arnold-Kage The Platinum Games blog states that Astral Chain is copyright to Nintendo.

I also believe an interview with the team a while ago said the same thing. This is the same situation as Bayonetta being a SEGA IP or Wonderful 101 being a Nintendo one.

This is definitely a must have for me!

Business is business, although I admit it sounds crafty it makes perfect sense. Why would you release another installment if the first makes a loss? Simple maths dictates game making decisions.....

My Japanese is not perfect, and if I were not confident in my translation, I would not share it online as fact. I wish others on the internet had that same restraint.

It certainly looks promising. It wasn't on my list, but if it reviews well I could be persuaded to buy

Yea, I can certainly be persuaded to buy too - but I haven't seen enough to convince me yet. All looks a bit wishy-washy, button-mashy so far - at least that's the impression those early trailers have given me.

Sadly, this game points to be abother Xenoblade case, in which sales will be not very high.

The visual style + the complexity of the combat makes me think that.

@Arnold-Kage

True

My guess is they haven’t figured out how to get recurrent spending added into Splinter Cell yet so until they do it’ll be on hiatus.

If that is the case, just follow the AC: Odyssey route. That’s the best post game DLC I’ve seen in a long time.

@tanasten And yet, Xenoblade got a sequel and a spin-off.

My guess is this game will sell like 2 million and maybe even more but that's just me.

@Kang81

Got a point their

Nintendo should market the s..t out of this. But they won't, it wasn't even playable at E3 as far as I know (there was a treehouse segment though). Hopefully I love it and it becomes a trilogy! Normally Platinum isn't that much into sequels, but we'll see.

@SNES64DD I hope that it gets these 2 million mark. It's not easy feat

@tanasten Yeah. I'm just going by the fact that Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle did that much on much less.
There's now an install base of over 33 million people. Even if only 5% of people were interested in getting it at launch, that's 1.65‬ million people.

@Ryu_Niiyama

That’s true, each game was really different in direction, which certainly didn’t help. I wasn’t a fan of the dark and brooding direction of Warrior Within, but as much as I enjoyed the first game in the SoT trilogy, the 3rd was probably my favorite.

It was nice to get DLC for PoP ‘08, but sadly it only left the story with an even bigger cliffhanger than the original ending.