{"id":51805,"date":"2025-09-10T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=51805"},"modified":"2025-09-09T17:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T08:44:19","slug":"romancing-saga-2-remake-developer-xeen-is-raising-a-generation-of-devs-who-understand-the-core-strengths-of-japanese-game-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/romancing-saga-2-remake-developer-xeen-is-raising-a-generation-of-devs-who-understand-the-core-strengths-of-japanese-game-making\/","title":{"rendered":"Romancing SaGa 2 remake developer Xeen is raising a generation of devs who understand the core strengths of Japanese game making"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the name Xeen <\/strong>may not immediately ring a bell when it comes to major game developers from Japan, the studio has a long history of doing contract work for big game publishers. Despite being relatively obscure among general consumers until recently, they\u2019ve started gaining wider recognition for the steady quality of remakes they did for Square Enix. Alongside fully developing Trials of Mana (2020) and Romancing SaGa 2 (2024), Xeen has also been credited on titles like Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio. Their wide scope of work across arcade and console games, as well as 19 years of experience and deep relationships in the industry, have allowed them to distinguish themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Romancing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Xeen marches into their 20th year as a company, AUTOMATON talked to president Yosuke Satomi about the studio\u2019s future prospects and plans for branching out to original game development alongside contract work for other companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Xeen was acquired by NTT, a Japanese telecommunications holding company. Although large acquisitions tend to have a bad name, the studio considers the steadier backing a huge plus. However, this move inevitably made some major clients worry if Xeen would stop doing contract development work altogether. Satomi assures both fans and future partners that Xeen will continue making games \u2013 and that they\u2019re eagerly waiting for new offers and opportunities. \u201cThankfully, our hands are full right now, but we\u2019ve been increasing our development lines, so new offers are always welcome,\u201d Satomi commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Romancing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, he emphasizes the importance of doing new things as well, which is why Xeen are also focusing on developing original games. What\u2019s interesting though, is that they\u2019re currently developing analog board games. This decision comes not just from the need to branch out into new in-house projects, but as a way to prepare the new generations of creators for developing more elaborate digital games, teaching them the \u201cessence\u201d of gameplay. As Satomi suggests, this is a crucial factor for creating games that stand out, and something the whole industry needs to pay close attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trials<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that the game industry needs to reconsider the \u2018essence\u2019 of games. Of course, games that look like Hollywood movies are wonderful too, however, the core trait of Japanese game companies has been the conception new gameplay, new rules and new genres. We want to be a company that is able to do just that,\u201d Satomi commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trials<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, we\u2019re fine with making games that look like movies \u2013 provided we had an endless budget, but we specifically want to teach young generations of creators that the strength of Japanese game companies lies in the craft of gameplay and its rules. We are a company that has the knowledge for it, so we\u2019re constantly urging our creators to make content that is rudimentary, but can be enjoyed no matter how many times you play it. If we manage to continue this, I think we can become a company that doesn\u2019t miss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Trials of Mana to Romancing SaGa 2, Japanese contract developer Xeen has silently become a powerhouse in remake development\u00a0
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trials of Mana and Romancing SaGa2 developer Xeen’s president Yosuke Satomi tells us more about the studio\u2019s future prospects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-51805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nRomancing SaGa 2 remake developer Xeen is raising a generation of devs who understand the core strengths of Japanese game making - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Trials of Mana and Romancing SaGa2 developer Xeen's president Yosuke Satomi tells us more about the studio\u2019s future prospects.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/romancing-saga-2-remake-developer-xeen-is-raising-a-generation-of-devs-who-understand-the-core-strengths-of-japanese-game-making\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Romancing SaGa 2 remake developer Xeen is raising a generation of devs who understand the core strengths of Japanese game making - 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