Releasing worldwide on September 19, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter will mark the rebirth of the Trails series’ origin point, 2004’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Though the full 3D remake isn’t even out yet, you can’t really blame fans for being curious about Nihon Falcom’s plans for further remakes, especially when it comes to Trails in the Sky SC, a sequel that had a big job to do after the first game’s colossal ending. AUTOMATON recently got the opportunity to interview Nihon Falcom’s president Toshihiro Kondo, who talked to us about the company’s future plans.
“Since Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a remake of the first Trails in the Sky,” Kondo says, “If we didn’t follow up with a remake of Trails in the Sky SC, people would go, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ So, we do want to do a remake along the lines of Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter. Back in 2004, we ended up keeping players waiting quite a while for SC after the release of Trails in the Sky’s PC version. This time, we want to avoid such a long gap. As for remakes beyond that, I’d say it depends on fan demand.”
Kondo also commented on Nihon Falcom’s plans for brand-new releases. The Trails series’ latest entry, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon, launched in Japan in September 2024, with an English version scheduled to come out in January 2026. This game, Kondo comments, “is in a similar position to the first Trails in the Sky story-wise, so we are, of course, preparing a sequel.” This sequel is being developed in parallel with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, but Nihon Falcom isn’t ready to make formal announcements about it quite yet.
Commenting on his overall strategy for the Trails franchise’s development, Kondo says, “Before depicting the series’ climax in Kai no Kiseki, I wanted us to remake the first Trails in the Sky. The Trails series has become something of a veteran-oriented franchise, and I don’t want my staff to become too accustomed to just making sequels. Also, the Trails team had grown a bit tired, so I felt we needed a step where we could recharge our batteries.”
While continuing to develop new mainline installments, Kondo explains, Nihon Falcom hopes to also put more titles like Trails in the Sky the 1st, which can serve as an entry point for newcomers. “I think that both kinds of titles – those aimed at new players, and those for longtime Trails fans – are something the series can’t survive without. We’re approaching a time when game development and sales methods will no longer work the way they have in the past, so it’s going to be trial and error for us, but we’ll do our best.”
Trails in the Sky the 1st launches September 19, 2025 for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch and PS5. The game will also receive a Nintendo Switch 2 edition, which can be purchased as an Upgrade Pack for $1.00.
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Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter takes about 80 hours to complete, doubling playtime of original
