Yesterday, Nihon Falcom announced that Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, a full 3D remake of the franchise’s second mainline entry from 2006 – will be launching worldwide in 2026. While this came as exciting news for Trails fans and JRPG lovers, the announcement has inevitably raised concerns about the progress of the series’ next mainline entry.
As reported by Japanese independent journalist Suzuki Online, during Nihon Falcom’s shareholders meeting held on December 18, president Toshihiro Kondo was asked why he decided to insert the Trails in the Sky remakes before the Kai no Kiseki arc’s next game. Although the benefit of attracting new players is obvious, shareholders asked whether this was properly weighed against the risk of losing existing fans who’ve been waiting for the story’s conclusion.
In response, Kondo apologized for the long wait and explained that with the Kai no Kiseki games being PlayStation exclusive (referring to initial Japan releases), “it’s become clear that the player base is dwindling.” That’s why before heading towards the story’s conclusion, the developers decided to hop over to the Trails in the Sky remakes as a way to increase the likelihood that players who had dropped out, or those who had been interested in the series but found it difficult to jump in midway, would come back or start playing.
Another important point Kondo brings up is the high development costs of Kai no Kiseki and the team’s exhaustion. The president has already mentioned on previous occasions that the Trails in the Sky remakes came as a “breather” for development staff, and he affirmed this point of view in the shareholders meeting. “From an internal standpoint, there’s a desire to give the Trails team a break, and to raise their motivation toward completing Kai no Kiseki.” This might be a good time to remember that Nihon Falcom has only 69 employees working on Kai no Kiseki, Ys games and other titles.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is set to launch in 2026, for PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5. Trails Beyond the Horizon, the series’ latest mainline entry, is coming to the West in January 2026 on all major platforms.
