{"id":69543,"date":"2026-07-13T16:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=69543"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:11:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T07:11:42","slug":"cygames-first-aaa-title-project-awakening-is-still-in-development-after-10-years-production-to-speed-up-significantly-going-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/cygames-first-aaa-title-project-awakening-is-still-in-development-after-10-years-production-to-speed-up-significantly-going-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Cygames\u2019 first AAA title Project Awakening is still in development after 10 years. Production to \u201cspeed up significantly\u201d going forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent interview with Japanese media outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/cgworld.jp\/special-feature\/202607-cygames.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CGWORLD<\/a>, Cygames addressed the development status of its long-anticipated \u201cfirst AAA project.\u201d Titled <strong>Project Awakening<\/strong>, the game was initially announced at Cygames NEXT 2016 as an \u201cupcoming high-end console game,\u201d with more details, including a PS4 release, subsequently unveiled during E3 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, aside from some new footage revealed during 2021\u2019s Cygames Tech Conference, there hasn\u2019t been any word about the game\u2019s actual development status for years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u300eProject Awakening\u300fPlayStation\u00ae LineUp Tour\uff08\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u97f3\u58f0\uff09\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PlB1V-vjqsA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talking to CGWORLD, Kimihiro Tomino, manager of Cygames\u2019 Console Design Team, explains that the division is currently pouring most of its efforts into developing Project Awakening, and that the core elements of the game have finally been finished. While there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done, he says that development is now at a stage where it will only continue to accelerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to visual direction, Tomino says that Cygames is aiming for \u201chyper-photorealism.\u201d As he describes it,\u201cWe don\u2019t want it to be just the pretty kind of photorealism. We also want to express the feeling of rawness, and the sense of everyday life and grittiness of the characters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apparently, the characters were completely redesigned from ground-up at one point thanks to the upgraded in-house 3D scanning equipment Cygames adopted in 2019, which allowed them to obtain significantly higher-resolution data. To amplify the aforementioned \u201crawness,\u201d the characters are scanned first and then manually adjusted by sculptors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"609\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260713-695430001.jpg\" alt=\"Project Awakening \" class=\"wp-image-69546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260713-695430001.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260713-695430001-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260713-695430001-768x433.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Tomino, the game is being developed under the theme of \u201cHow to translate the real world into the world of games.\u201d Specifically, in order to achieve a realistic open world, which is based on 13th century Europe, Cygames hired specialized vegetation artists and geologists to design it. Since the placement of terrain and vegetation is also directly related to the gameplay, level designers worked closely with the vegetation and geology specialists to create game logic that is \u201cas close to the real world as possible,\u201d Tomino explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interestingly, while it was originally announced that Project Awakening would be Cygames\u2019 first game to use the in-house Cyllista Game Engine, Tomino reveals that the Console Design Team primarily uses Unreal Engine 5, suggesting that it is also being used for this title. However, since the CGWORLD interview was specifically published as a recruitment ad giving insight into how the company works behind the scenes, it is also likely that the adoption of a more general-use game engine is to create a more \u201cfamiliar\u201d environment for new hires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Project Awakening is currently in development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Related articles: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/cygames-acquires-japanese-animation-vfx-and-motion-capture-company-credited-on-final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-ninja-gaiden-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cygames\u00a0acquires\u00a0Japanese\u00a0animation, VFX, and motion capture company\u00a0credited on\u00a0Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Ninja Gaiden 4\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cygames reveals details on its upcoming &#8220;hyper-realistic&#8221; action game Project Awakening, which has been in development for over 10 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":69545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2","date":"2026-07-13T07:11:47+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mqj5auu4xx22","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mqj5auu4xx22\",\"cid\":\"bafyreigw4mpa3kzzjvjpu7ibbpluyk6iwblgip6cwq3sqklcz2hxmd2zt4\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreiajnxtzlndx7vbu6vnyjnuomq4lt42ef2m4qylhg75qhsp7ryulxm\",\"rev\":\"3mqj5auujo722\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-69543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cygames\u2019 first AAA title Project Awakening is still in development after 10 years. 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