Tokyo RPG Factory


Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and a subsidiary of Square Enix.

History

Previous to 2014, discussions were held internally at Square Enix that there should be a group at the company focused on making turned based story driven RPG’s. These games would not be exactly like the RPG’s of the 1990’s, but would be reinventions of turn-based RPGs for the present. One of the key people in this drive for a new studio was Yosuke Matsuda, the president of Square Enix. In order to raise the groups profile so that people would want to join, Matsuda asked them to name their “company”. There was also discussion of doing crowdfunded development through the new game group, but the idea was dropped. In 2014, Square Enix formed a new development studio named "Tokyo Dream Factory". Square Enix tried something new with this group by allowing staff members to volunteer to be a part of the group if they wished. The following year, the studio was renamed Tokyo RPG Factory, with its purposed being focused on the creation of JRPGs, mainly the ones inspired on the games Square released in the 1990s. In this way, Square Enixs goal with Tokyo RPG Factory is to satisfy gamers who grew up with RPG’s in the 1990’s, and also introduce them to younger gamers who may have discovered RPG’s through mobile devices. Matsuda has stated that personality is very important to this style of game, and the group has a lot of freedom to make the games they wish. the teams focus is also at this time on creating new stories and characters and not doing sequels or remakes. The team has ten regular employees but many other employees who are passionate and help out.
The studio's first game, I Am Setsuna, was released in 2016. In 2017, a spiritual successor to I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear was released in Japan, and worldwide the following year. The studio's third project, Oninaki, was released in 2019.

Games