{"id":72932,"date":"2026-09-25T14:46:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T05:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=72932"},"modified":"2026-09-25T14:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T05:46:32","slug":"wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">505 Games\u2019 parent company Digital Bros has discontinued development of <strong>Armed Fantasia<\/strong>, the spiritual successor to Media.Vision\u2019s Wild Arms series. The company made the statement in its financial results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, alongside cancellations of Directorate: Novitiate and a Battle Island sequel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalbros-com.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026.09.24-The-BoD-approves-the-Draft-Financial-Statements-as-of-June-30-2026-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">document<\/a>, the projects were discontinued following multiple gameplay revision attempts and a \u201cthorough review of each product,\u201d including their current development progress, potential markets, and required additional funding. Digital Bros reported a non-cash asset impairment of 18 .7 million Euros (roughly $ 21.3 million USD), including 17.6 million Euros in write-offs relating to the discontinued projects and 1 million Euros in impairment losses.<\/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=\"Armed Fantasia - Official Kickstarter Trailer\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CsfjRgoQeOQ?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\">Developed by Wild Bunch Productions (which consists of several former Wild Arms devs, including longtime producer Akifumi Kaneko), Armed Fantasia is a Western-punk RPG set in the land of Londenium. Alongside a group of Pathfinders (i.e., adventurers), you explore the world, use character-specific Gadgets, and engage in turn-based combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Announced in 2022, the game was part of a joint <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/doublekickstarter\/armed-fantasia-and-penny-blood\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kickstarter campaign<\/a> alongside Penny Blood, a spiritual successor to Shadow Hearts developed by Yukikaze, Shade, and Studio Wildrose, and helmed by series creator Matsuzo Machida. The campaign raised a total of 379,328,385 JPY ($2.4 million USD) from about 18,000 backers. While Penny Blood did not have a publisher as of 2025 (the Kickstarter campaign funds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/doublekickstarter\/armed-fantasia-and-penny-blood\/posts\/4448264\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ran out by Autumn 2023<\/a>, with Machida and artist Miyako Kato paying for the project using their own funds), 505 Games would later announce that it would be publishing Armed Fantasia.<\/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=\"Armed Fantasia - Swept Away at the End of the Earth\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_kWj9cGBu98?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\">Armed Fantasia was originally set to release in March 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, but has since been postponed indefinitely (even before Digital Bros decided to cancel it). Though the devs have been posting updates on the game\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/wildbunchproductions.co.jp\/eng\/ud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">official website<\/a> to keep fans in the loop, they have been few and far between (a fact that Kaneko admitted to in the most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/wildbunchproductions.co.jp\/eng\/2026\/03\/10\/march-2026-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">March 2026 update<\/a>). Additionally, the March 2026 update confirmed that a vertical slice, which includes the game\u2019s main scenario, core gameplay systems, and various integrated elements, was sent to the publisher for approval. Kaneko also confirmed that the timing and scope of information the studio can share are heavily influenced by the publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Digital Bros has discontinued Armed Fantasia on their end, there hasn\u2019t been any word from Wild Bunch Productions regarding whether it will cancel the project entirely or look for another source for funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20220830-15325\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts creators launch their Kickstarter campaign after receiving no backing from publishers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>505 Games\u2019 parent company Digital Bros has discontinued development of Armed Fantasia, the spiritual successor to Media.Vision\u2019s Wild Arms series. The company made the statement in its financial results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, alongside cancellations of Directorate: Novitiate and a Battle Island sequel. According to the document, the projects were discontinued following multiple gameplay revision attempts and a \u201cthorough review of each product,\u201d including their current development progress, potential markets, and required additional funding. Digital Bros reported a non-cash asset impairment of 18 .7 million Euros (roughly $ 21.3 million USD), including 17.6 million Euros in write-offs relating to the discontinued projects and 1 million Euros [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":72935,"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":"2026-09-25T05:46:36+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mwd2yozxvz2j","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mwd2yozxvz2j\",\"cid\":\"bafyreih7iz42sccfk63zvpa4rqhrugqcmol4tdw73l7vgmggoted7vnjzm\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreidangwidda7aetw4ex7jwkigef2k5lhch4tga2z25vioywzspen6q\",\"rev\":\"3mwd2yp25rj2j\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-72932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\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\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign - AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"505 Games\u2019 parent company Digital Bros has discontinued development of Armed Fantasia, the spiritual successor to Media.Vision\u2019s Wild Arms series. The company made the statement in its financial results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, alongside cancellations of Directorate: Novitiate and a Battle Island sequel. According to the document, the projects were discontinued following multiple gameplay revision attempts and a \u201cthorough review of each product,\u201d including their current development progress, potential markets, and required additional funding. Digital Bros reported a non-cash asset impairment of 18 .7 million Euros (roughly $ 21.3 million USD), including 17.6 million Euros in write-offs relating to the discontinued projects and 1 million Euros [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-25T05:46:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-25T05:46:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925-72932-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"908\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carlos &quot;Zoto&quot; Zotomayor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carlos &quot;Zoto&quot; Zotomayor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign - AUTOMATON WEST","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign - AUTOMATON WEST","og_description":"505 Games\u2019 parent company Digital Bros has discontinued development of Armed Fantasia, the spiritual successor to Media.Vision\u2019s Wild Arms series. The company made the statement in its financial results for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, alongside cancellations of Directorate: Novitiate and a Battle Island sequel. According to the document, the projects were discontinued following multiple gameplay revision attempts and a \u201cthorough review of each product,\u201d including their current development progress, potential markets, and required additional funding. Digital Bros reported a non-cash asset impairment of 18 .7 million Euros (roughly $ 21.3 million USD), including 17.6 million Euros in write-offs relating to the discontinued projects and 1 million Euros [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/","og_site_name":"AUTOMATON WEST","article_published_time":"2026-09-25T05:46:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-25T05:46:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1628,"height":908,"url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925-72932-header.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_site":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/"},"author":{"name":"Carlos \"Zoto\" Zotomayor","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/2812ca8facd5f161edfbc531cf81eb31"},"headline":"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign","datePublished":"2026-09-25T05:46:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-25T05:46:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/"},"wordCount":444,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260925-72932-header.jpg","keywords":["News (Japan-related)"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/wild-arms-spiritual-successor-armed-fantasia-discontinued-by-publisher-despite-successful-2022-crowdfunding-campaign\/","name":"Wild Arms spiritual successor Armed Fantasia discontinued by publisher despite successful 2022 crowdfunding campaign - 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