I'm Shingo Watanabe, the producer for the Fuga series. AMA!
To celebrate the Fuga trilogy getting a physical release in North America, I'll be answering questions that get sent in this weekend (cut off will be 9:00 AM JST on Monday June 1).
Please note I may not be able to answer all questions depending on their content.
The collector's edition from Limited Run is available here:
https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all-games/products/fuga-melodies-of-steel-1-2-3-collectors-…
Thank you! I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of questions our international fans have.
UPDATE 6/1 15:00 JST: Thank you so much all for the questions! We are cutting off the AMA here, and I will be answering them one by one after our team finishes translating them into Japanese. Thank you in advance for your patience in the meantime!
UPDATE 2 6/5 18:00 JST: Thank you all for your patience! Most of the questions have been answered, and we will get to those that haven't been answered by early next week. There's still a week or so left for the pre-orders, so please consider supporting us if you can!
Fuga is a great trilogy, I loved the gameplay a lot, and I found the kids so cute (the twins are my favourite!) I made sure to NOT use the soul cannon! Shame that for the epilogues you need to go through all endings :(
The 'pick a kid in random for the soul cannon' thing in the second game was... Traumatizing
Anyway! So three questions:
Why Sheena's name is based on a savoury dish and not something sweet like the others?
Is comedies of steel 3 is in planning or production?
When using the mega soul cannon, does Jeanne (?) appear? Or is it my imagination? [Also, why Hack look so much like a roman emperor?]
The reason for Sheena's name might have to do with how much inner strength she has, even among the children of the Taranis. She's spicier than at first glance. She also has a mysterious aura about her, so we wanted to incorporate that (Noguchi, game writer)
Comedies of Steel only goes up to Season 2, I'm afraid.
We wanted the Mega Soul Cannon to feel both inordinately powerful yet somehow divine, so it felt natural to design toward a Jeanne-esque goddess.
As for why Hack looks like a Roman emperor... I've never noticed that, actually. (Watanabe, producer)
Do you have any future games planned or in the works within the Fuga/little tail Bronx world? (Apart from the current one teased)
Also do you plan on making a comprehensive fuga art book collection avalible to us in the western world?
Thank you for all the awesome work as well!
What is one lesson you learned while making the Fuga series that completely changed how you approach game development today?
Fuga was our first ever self-published title, so we learned a lot about how to promote and sell our own game. The biggest influence it had on our mindset was in regards to development cost, and the importance of reusing what we can while also giving the games a sense of novelty. (Watanabe, producer)
Is the upcoming "Senjou no Kanon" project a direct sequel to the Fuga story, or will it be its own standalone story for Little Tail Bronx? Been curious ever since its reveal in the Fuga staff book!
Will Malt and Kyle get married each other?
Hello, thank you for helping to bring Fuga to the light. It is a wonderful game series and I'm very glad it was made.
One question. Are there plans for further games set in the Little Tail Bronx continuity in the near future? I would hate to have to wait a long time again!
Any plans for vinyl release of the soundtrack? 👀
Two questions?
Will Solatorobo be remade with a different control scheme?
Will more games in the same world be made?
Bandai Namco Entertainment owns to the Solatorobo IP, so please send your question their way. We're currently working on "Senjou no Kanon," which will be a completely new title in the LTB series! (Watanabe, producer)
Will there be a Fuga hoodie? It would be nice to have the shirt design on a hoodie.
Okay, first of all- it's such an honor sir!
If FUGA had an animation work, do you think it would be a direct adaptation or a completely new story?
If the FUGA characters were to appear in one crossover game, which one would you choose and why?
If there was something about the story that you could change now, what would it be and why?
Good evening Watanabe-san!! It's such a pleasure to get a opportunity speak with you here on Reddit! I have recently become a huge fan of the Little Tail Bronx series because of Fuga (completed the trilogy on the Switch) and I can't get enough! I've always wanted to play Solatorabo: The Red Hunter on the Nintendo DS but never got the chance to when it came out in 2010... Will there ever be or any plans for the remaster to release in the future? お疲れ様です 🥰😊
Thank you for playing the games! The Solatorobo IP belongs to Bandai Namco Entertainment, so please direct your request to them! (Watanabe, producer)
Of the new Little Tail Bronx logo seen in the Fuga 3 secret movie, I have noticed it uses the same texture as the Japanese Fuga logo. However, I also noticed that the new LTB logo uses parts of the texture not seen in the Fuga logo. As someone who has been trying to remake logos of all Little Tail Bronx properties in a vector format, could you please make the original un-cropped texture available?
The manga included in the Fuga Limited Run Collector's Edition has the same cover art as the Japanese volume 1 manga paperback. However, the photo of the Limited Run version of the manga makes it look a lot thinner than the Japanese copy I have. Will the final version of the manga in the Limited Run Collector's Edition cover the same amount of content as the Japanese volume 1 manga or will it cover less?
Your team has received a license from Bandai Namco to make Tail Concerto and Solatorobo DLC for the Fuga games before. Since Bandai Namco also owns Sherlock Hound, would you be interested in doing a crossover with that license in the next Little Tail Bronx game? Of what was teased of the next LTB game, it seems the style and time period would be a good fit with Sherlock Hound.
Thank you Watanabe-san.
I pre-ordered the PS5 Collector's Edition to sit alongside my Japanese Switch Trilogy Box.
Thank you for pre-ordering the trilogy!
We will consider releasing the texture when the timing is right.
The English manga included in the collector's edition include up to Vol. 2 of the digital release, or Chapter 11.5.
As for other IPs, we discuss rights with Bandai Namco Entertainment when necessary and as appropriate. (Watanabe, producer)
Good morning/evening, Watanabe-san. Before the question I have to say I love the series after finding out about it a year ago and bought the trilogy and a copy of Solatorobo to play, hope we go back to the world of Solatorobo.
Q: With Limited Run Games having a plush and a physical Manga, is there any chance of them getting released on cc2 website? Would the Physical Manga get a store release at like Books A Million?
First off, thank you very much for your work. As someone who found out about this series two years ago through my favorite game, Solatorobo, the Fuga 3 Ultimate Edition was a must get for me, and I've enjoyed the trilogy and series since.
My question to you is with the mobile version of Fuga coming in July, would the team be willing to make mobile ports of Fuga 2, 3, and perhaps the teased game?
The mobile port is coming along nicely, and I'm hopeful more people will be able to play Fuga: Melodies of Steel and be introduced to the charming world of Little Tail Bronx. I do have to ask for your patience on Fuga 2 and Fuga 3 though. We're also currently working on "Senjou no Kanon".
It's an honor, Watanabe-san~! I'm new to the Little Tail Bronx series, and I've been hooked ever since I purchased the Fuga trilogy on Steam back in March of this year. So, with courtesy, here are the questions I have:
1 - Will Fuga: Melodies Of Steel get an animated adaptation series?
2 - Will Fuga: Melodies Of Steel ever have a crossover event? If so, which IPs would you consider?
3 - I'd love to see a spin-off series of Fuga following the children's lives in an alternative timeline where humans aren't extinct. Has that idea been considered by the team?
4 - Will there be any more expansions to the Little Tail Bronx universe?
5 - ||Will there be a story expansion that follows all of the events leading up to the "Reset"?||
Are you planning any new games in the Little Tail Bronx series? Or maybe old games remakes?
渡邉さんのお気に入りのキャラクターを教えてください
あっ見た事あるアイコンだ！メイちゃんです。あんなに可愛かったメイちゃんが3では凄く頼もしくなって更に好きになりました。
Hey, I recognize your icon! My favorite character is Mei. She was always adorable, and became a really reliable character in Fuga 3, which made me like her even more. (Watanabe, producer)
Is there any chance we'll see more of the crimson knights and Niere in the future?
Who’s your favourite of the Taranis children?
…also, do you feel like Fuga 3 could have been done better? A lot of people were somewhat disappointed with it, and I wanted to know if there’s anything you think could be improved about it.
Mei is my favorite. She started off so cute and innocent, but grew into a really dependable crew member in Fuga 3, and that made me love her even more.
Also, I believe we gave the game everything we had and everything we could at the time. We will fully embrace all feedback, including ones saying players are disappointed, and use them to make better products in the future. (Watanabe, producer)
What was your primary inspiration for the Fuga series? And in what kind of way did you get that inspiration for the Soul Cannon?
With Namco Bandai letting you use .hack pretty loosely, is there any chance they'd allow that kind of freedom with Solatorobo? I'd love to revisit that part of the timeline for Little Tail Bronx!
Trivial question, but why do Jihl and the humans from Crusade wear cat ears?
Who is your favourite and least favourite child?
My favorite of the children is Mei, but I love all the other children as well. (Watanabe, producer)
How did the team manage narrative/gameplay risks as the series progressed while keeping player expectations in check?
Any plans for more Little Tail Bronx multimedia content in the future? Like Manga, Novels, scale figures, maybe even a anime?
What an honor, Watanabe-san! I don't usually ask questions, and my first language is Spanish, so my English might not be perfect, but I'll do my best:
Have you considered acquiring the rights to the rest of Little Tail Bronx so you can develop the franchise independently of Bandai Namco?
Have you had any ideas or concepts, either for Fuga or for any hypothetical game that takes place or has a plot developing in the pre-Reset era?
What concept for a hypothetical future game (besides the one teased in Fuga 3) are you most eager to explore?
If you somehow manage to make a sequel to Tail Concerto or Solatorobo, what point or plot would you like to explore?