Koei Tecmo recently announced a brand-new mainline entry in the Atelier series: Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian. According to the creators, this new title will bring back classic Atelier-esque mechanics, releasing on September 26, 2025, for PC (Steam), PS5, PS4 and the Nintendo Switch (Note that the PS4 port of the game will only be available in Japan).
Automaton recently had a chat with producer Hosoi Junzo about the Atelier series’ worldwide success and how it has affected his approach to development. The huge gap between Western and domestic demands seems more apparent now, and that requires a more careful approach when it comes to improving their games – However, Hosoi says that the Atelier team is carefully listening to each opinion or comment that fans send their way.
Hosoi shared with us his message to the overseas readers, telling us what he learned about the differences between the series’ Western and Japanese fans while he was on his trip across the ocean. “Recently I went to Europe and North America for the first time, to do some work regarding Atelier Yumia,” he says. “There I could actually feel the contrast between the Asian and Western sentiment, as well as the differences between our way of thinking and the Western players’ demands.”
“For example,” Hosoi adds, “in the West, many players are looking for a ‘more straightforward action-packed gameplay experience. However, in Asia, that kind of direction would be considered ‘too simple,’ and players say they would rather like us to ‘focus on making Synthesis stronger.’ While hearing all these opinions makes me realize how difficult game development actually is, I’d still want players to leave a Steam review or give us any kind of feedback, because it’s really valuable information for us – that’s why I’d want to tell all our players, keep on sharing your opinions with us!”
Although the series is gaining more global popularity, it seems like the Atelier team doesn’t want to simply prioritize the preferences of Western players, but rather, they are determined to reconcile the different demands and find a solution that would be the best for both sides. Contrary to its predecessor Atelier Yumia, which was leaning towards global gaming trends with is open-world map design and real-time action mechanics, Atelier Resleriana will be going back to basics as a classic turn-based RPG, inheriting the spirit of Atelier Sophie 2.
Taking all this into account, it appears that the developers are taking the freedom to make different game design choices for each next game they create, without leaning exclusively towards one market or one group of players. Trying to find a solution that is the best for both sides certainly isn’t easy, but as Hosoi said, keep sending all your opinions and suggestions – that way developers will be able to improve their games and make more content that fans will actually enjoy.
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