The console editions of RPG Maker MV are headed Westward in February 2019, but they’re making their Japanese debut this week! We asked Yuki Watanabe, a Kadokawa veteran and the director of this console release, about what we should expect from this new version of the game.

Michibiku: What is the driving force behind the development of RPG Maker MV? What are you trying to deliver to players that previous games haven’t done, or haven’t done as well as you’d like?
Yuki Watanabe, Director, RPG Maker MV: This is actually the first time we have ported a PC version to console. Usually, the console version is different, because we have to pay attention to memory and things like that, but this time, we could bring nearly the full PC experience to everyone.

It’s rare to see a game collaboration between teams in Japan and the West, but it does occasionally happen! We got to pose some questions to Mario Rizzo, co-founder and CEO of Artisan Studios, the team developing one such project: Super Neptunia RPG. Read on to learn more about what it’s like for the globetrotting team to work with Compile Heart and what to expect from the release.

SNK’s next fighting game release, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, is releasing later this year and headed West courtesy of NIS America. We were able to ask some questions to the project’s leads about what they’re hoping to accomplish and how the game will differ from a standard King of Fighters.

Michibiku: SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy seems to follow in the footsteps of cult classic Neo Geo Pocket Color release Gals’ Fighters. Was this intentional? Will we see references to Gals’ Fighters in the new game?

Yasuyuki Oda, producer: The story is not necessarily directly connected, but the concept is quite similar. It’s a new title, but it’s unmistakably a spiritual successor.