For many game developers, it is currently a difficult time. One constantly hears about new layoffs and flopped AAA games. A development team from Japan is determined to realize its game and has therefore taken on debt.
What game is it about? Those who have followed the latest Nintendo Direct could observe many new announcements about games, alongside a new Zelda title. Among them was also a game with the cumbersome name The Hundred Line – Last Defense Academy.
Connoisseurs of Japanese games should be able to recognize the art style right away, as the developers of Danganronpa are involved. However, the game has had a long development time of 6 to 7 years, and there were also financing problems, which is why a loan had to be taken out.
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You can find the announcement trailer here:
The development had to continue independently
The driving forces behind The Hundred Line are Kazutaka Kodaka and Kotaro Uchikoshi. Both are mainly known for the Danganronpa series, a mix of detective game and visual novel. However, their next project is a new IP, the development of which started 7 years ago and seems to be struggling with various issues.
In an interview with Famitsu magazine, Kodaka shares that they originally wanted to partner with a large publisher. At one point, the game was even briefly canceled. However, Kodaka and Uchikoshi wanted to restart the project and began the development independently.
As an indie project, the game did not work out, which is why the team needed a larger budget. The only option to achieve this was through debt, as he reveals in the interview.
We decided to take a risk… and went into debt. […] We still have debts to pay off, so this is also a title for which we are “risking our lives”.
Kazutaka Kodaka about the risks of their new game (Source: Famitsu)
He does not regret this decision. In the interview, he explains that it was a great experience. Although their studio, Tookyo Games, has now partnered with a publisher and other development studios for the work on The Hundred Line, the risk of a flop and the end of the studio remains.
The Hundred Line is set to be released in early 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and on Steam. Despite the great gaming hype during the Corona period, studios are regularly facing closure. Even major brands like Xbox are not safe from this. However, one Japanese studio is doing the opposite in these tough times: Many developers are laying off their staff – Capcom, on the other hand, is planning higher salaries
