Koei Tecmo is an interesting company when it comes to mobile gaming. I dare say that it’s rather active on the App Store in Japan, but it hasn’t put out a whole lot outside of the country. That makes visiting its Tokyo Game Show booth feel a bit like a peek into another world of mobile gaming, and its 2023 line-up didn’t disappoint in that regard. There was at least one game there I hope can buck the trend of not being localized, however.
First of all, it’s worth noting that by far the biggest push at Koei Tecmo this year was the upcoming console title Fate/Samurai Remnant. It was the only playable title at the company’s booth, and it certainly looks to be a good time. It’s coming to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Steam. That means you’ll probably be hearing more about it from either me or our pal Mikhail sooner or later. For now, we must move on.
The big news on the mobile front was the very recently announced Atelier Resleriana, which is scheduled for a release on iOS and Android in Japan later this year. It will also come to Steam at a later date. There wasn’t much to see yet gameplay-wise, but Koei Tecmo had a full line of merchandise ready to sell for it. Keychains, tapestries, posters, tote bags, and more sporting art of the new characters in varying poses were available for those who had the cheddar to spend. Well, that rules me out! Still, they had various events at the booth to market the game, including livestreams, cosplayers, posters, and a trailer. We’ll be keeping our eye on this one, especially if it seems like it’s going to make the jump to the West.
Of course, it isn’t Koei Tecmo without some historical simulations. The already-released mobile titles Nobunaga’s Ambition: Hadou and Nobunaga’s Ambition Shutsujin were on display with posters and some free goodies, and were also part of the Nobunaga’s Ambition 40th Anniversary roundtable livestream. Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Hadou was also on display, but that’s another mobile title that was released a while back in Japan with no sign of an international release. Beyond that, the console remake of Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 was also featured.
That’s about it for Koei Tecmo’s presence at Tokyo Game Show this year. Atelier Resleriana looks promising, but with its localization not confirmed or even talked about yet, it’s hard to get too excited about it. At least in terms of the 2023 show, it was unusual to see a booth from one of the major publishers that was more dedicated to mobile than console, but it’s even odder when you consider that virtually none of those games will ever release in the West. But that’s sometimes part of the fun of the Tokyo Game Show, isn’t it?
