Star Ocean, the beloved space-travelling JRPG from Square Enix and tri-Ace, isn’t as relevant as it once was, but there’s still demand from fans to keep the franchise soaring among the stars. It seemed that those demands would be answered in the form of a Star Ocean 6 announcement during a Star Ocean Fes live stream event earlier today, but it was soon made clear that they’ll have to wait a while longer.
In what must seem like a recurring bad joke at this point for folks in the West, most of the stream was focused on the mobile game, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, and if you’re a fan of that game then you’ll be happy to know that its going along quite well.
As for a potential Star Ocean 6? It’s there, but it is also a long ways off.
Discussing the subject was Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness producer Shuichi Kobayashi who said Square Enix is aware of the demand for a new entry, but “it’s not that simple to make.”
He went on to say:
“If you’re okay with it not being made by tri-Ace, then we can probably make it… but we can’t just do something like that, right?”
“That said, please wait a little longer. Rather, keep believing in it while playing Anamnesis. I’ll also do my best. I’ll do my best, and I’m sure all your support will be a huge strength for us. While that’s about all I can share for today, I just wanted to let it be known that we got your message, loud and clear.”
Taking his words at face value, it does indeed seem that Square Enix is aware of the fan demand for Star Ocean 6 but tri-Ace is incapable of spending any time on it at the moment. Maybe it’s focused on the mobile game or perhaps there is something else in the wings? Whatever the reason, Kobayashi isn’t sharing.
Of course, even a fan has to be a bit wary of what Star Ocean 6 would be like considering the state of the series.
The most recent entry, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, wasn’t received all too well by fans. And though there were many reasons for that being the case, such as its poor camera or easy combat, the greatest issues were the game’s story and narrative. Granted, we soon came to learn that many of its flaws came about due to a lack of budget (most resources were diverted towards Final Fantasy XV), but that’s of little solace when we’re left with a game that is somehow worse than Star Ocean: The Last Hope.
Meanwhile, the very future of the series has been called into question following the ending of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. Some say the plot twist renders everything that would come after pointless, while others insist that isn’t the case. In either event, it seems not even tri-Ace is sure of what to do, as the entry that followed it, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, served as a prequel for the whole series. If it intends to move forward with the series in any meaningful way, the developers will have to address the events of Till the End of Time at some point.
So, yeah: another highly-anticipated stream, another announcement concerning a mobile game. At least Square Enix is aware of what fans want, but now it’s a question of when they’re actually getting it.
