Armored Core 6: Details about the star-studded mecha design team of the game
FromSoftware released ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON on August 25 for PC (Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It has been revealed that renowned Japanese mecha designers, including Shoji Kawamori, participated in the game’s development. The game’s designers made public announcements about their involvement with the title on their personal social media accounts.
Armored Core VI is the latest game in the mecha-action series. The game is set on the frontier planet of Rubicon, where a mysterious new substance known as Coral was previously discovered. The hope was that Coral could be utilized as a vital energy source for humanity, but the substance instead caused a catastrophe known as the Fires of Ibis, which engulfed the planet and the surrounding stars in flames. Almost half a century later, the planet is now sealed off and under strict surveillance, and the lives of those who survived the catastrophe hang in a precarious balance. Players take control of Augmented Human C4-621, which has undergone enhancements to boost their piloting skills and join the fray using combat mechs known as Armored Cores.
The game allows you to construct your own Armored Core by freely customizing its parts and maintains the series’ satisfying feeling of clearing missions with your beloved machine. In addition, the grim atmosphere of the world and story is another aspect that has captured the attention of fans. Moreover, Armored Core 6 is the first new title in the series in about 10 years. Anticipation has been building among existing fans who have been eagerly awaiting the release, this title has also captured the attention of the new fan base that FromSoftware has built through titles like the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring.
In the game’s credits, it has been revealed that renowned mecha designers from Japan, including Shoji Kawamori, Kazutaka Miyatake, Takayuki Yanase, and Ikuto Yamashita, were involved in its development. Kawamori, Miyatake, and Yanase contributed to the game’s mechanical design, while Yamashita participated as a conceptual designer. In this article, we will introduce the designers’ most impressive works and their involvement with the Armored Core series.
Shoji Kawamori is an animation director, producer, and scriptwriter in addition to being a mechanical designer. He is known for his involvement in the Macross and Aquarion series, and the design of, VF-1 Valkyrie, the main mecha in Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Kawamori is also the designer behind the initial Armored Core mecha designs, having created iconic designs such as the White Glint in Armored Core: For Answer.
Kazutaka Miyatake is a mecha designer affiliated with Studio Nue, also active as a concept designer and illustrator. He contributed to the mechanical designs of the Space Battleship Yamato series and the Macross series. In Armored Core: For Answer, he designed the Arms Fort Stigro.
Takayuki Yanase, formerly with FromSoftware, is a mechanical designer who worked on the mechanical designs of series such as Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. He designed AC parts and enemy mechs for Armored Core 2 and Armored Core 2: Another Age.
Ikuto Yamashita is a manga artist and designer, who contributed to the mechanical design for series like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gunbuster. He provided illustrations for the Armored Core Mechanical Guidance concept art book published by SB Creative in 2002.
Shoji Kawamori, often referred to as the “father” of the Armored Core series’ mech design, posted on his personal account on August 27 that he had participated in the design of Armored Core 6. In part of his post, he added “I feel like I’m back in my old home <Nest> ” This likely refers to the mercenary organization “Ravens’ Nest”, to which the player belongs in the original Armored Core game, which Kawamori had worked on.
Additionally, Ikuto Yamashita posted a photo of the PS5 physical edition of Armored Core 6 on the day of the game’s release, August 25, and Takayuki Yanase streamed himself playing the game on August 26. Many of the posts by members involved in the game’s development have been reposted on the X (formerly Twitter) account of the game’s producer, Yasunori Ogura, so more details about the various individuals who worked on the title can likely be found there.
In retrospect, individuals like Kawamori hold a considerable amount of name value in the industry. By keeping their involvement undisclosed, it seems that FromSoftware concentrated on promoting Armored Core 6 primarily through the game’s content. The game is unique not only for its content but for its approach to advertising as well. In any case, it’s rare for the participation of such influential figures to be revealed after the release of a game.
ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON is available for PC (Steam)/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S.
Written by. Remi Morisawa based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-08-28 16:30 JST)
Toru Ishikawa
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