Next year, the Mana series will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and Square Enix producers Masaru Oyamada and Yusuke Suda spoke with Famitsu about some of the plans they have for the series.
The last time we saw a main-numbered Mana game, it was Dawn of Mana for PlayStation 2, which is called Seiken Densetsu 4 in Japan, and fans have been waiting for the fifth installment of the series since then. Square Enix have been teasing that a new title in the main series has been in the works, but have yet to share much on the subject.
“Mana will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, and we have plans on rebooting the brand,” said Rise of Mana’s PlayStation Vita version’s producer Suda. “And I believe that Rise of Mana will lead the charge. Depending on how things turn out, the flow of things may change, but we’re still excited, nonetheless.”
“Also, I believe that Oyamada will make the next generation Mana, so I believe this is a nice way to pass the baton [for a closing statement in the interview],” Suda added with a chuckle.
“I really can’t say anything about it at this point in time,” continued Oyamada with a laugh. “Firstly, I believe we’d like to offer Rise of Mana as a free-to-play title for those who’ve played Mana games in the past and those who haven’t, as a way to expand its range.”
“While on the subject of the Mana series, next year is its 25th anniversary, and we definitely have a lot prepared for it. We will reveal more information when the time comes, so please look forward to it.”
In an earlier interview, Oyamada stated that he’d like to make the next Mana game on something that fans have been wanting it on—for home consoles. You can read more about that, here.
