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Project Phoenix - All News

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Friday - December 11, 2015
Sunday - February 22, 2015
Monday - December 29, 2014
Tuesday - September 23, 2014
Friday - January 24, 2014
Friday - January 17, 2014
Monday - January 13, 2014
Thursday - January 09, 2014
Thursday - October 03, 2013
Thursday - September 26, 2013
Wednesday - September 18, 2013
Sunday - September 15, 2013
Friday - September 13, 2013
Wednesday - September 11, 2013
Tuesday - September 10, 2013
Monday - September 09, 2013
Saturday - September 07, 2013
Friday - September 06, 2013
Wednesday - September 04, 2013
Tuesday - September 03, 2013
Monday - September 02, 2013
Saturday - August 31, 2013
Wednesday - August 28, 2013
Tuesday - August 27, 2013
Sunday - August 25, 2013
Friday - August 23, 2013
Wednesday - August 21, 2013
Tuesday - August 20, 2013
Sunday - August 18, 2013
Saturday - August 17, 2013
Friday - August 16, 2013
Wednesday - August 14, 2013
Tuesday - August 13, 2013
Sunday - August 11, 2013
Box Art

Friday - December 11, 2015

Project Phoenix - Delayed Until 2018

by Aubrielle, 22:49

Project Phoenix, the too-good-to-be-true Kickstarter JRPG project from 2013, has been delayed again till 2018Hmm.  Thanks, Couch.

On September 11, 2013, the Kickstarter project Project Phoenix successfully ended, raising just over $1 million for a game they estimated would be out in March of 2015. Last night, the people behind the project announced a bit of a delay. They’re now aiming to ship the game in late 2018.

Project Phoenix, which promised to “set a new standard of excellence for the Japanese gaming industry,” raised a number of red flags when it first went live. In addition to targeting a very small amount of money for game development—their original goal was just $100,000—the campaign made many lofty promises that seemed tough if not impossible to deliver. As veteran RPG designer Robert Boyd pointed out rather presciently, the warning signs were all there.

More information.

Sunday - February 22, 2015

Project Phoenix - Recruitment Drive

by Couchpotato, 04:38

Creative Intelligence Arts posted a new update for Project Phoenix thay is about a new  recruitment drive for Unreal Engine Programmers to help develop the game.

As we hinted at last week we are looking to recruit experienced programmers for the UNREAL engine, as well as environment modelers. If you are interested in helping us create the game, please send your resume to info@projectphoenix.info for us to review.

We will be hosting another Google Hangout towards the end of the month. Although, we do not have a date and time set yet, but keep an eye out on the updates for more information. Come prepared with questions for Q&A.

We hear your requests for progress reports and promise we will have something you can sink your teeth into soon. If there is something specific you wanted to ask about the games current build, let us know on the forums HERE and we will work on answering your questions.

Monday - December 29, 2014

Project Phoenix - Game Update

by Couchpotato, 05:12

It has been three months since my last update for the funded JRPG Project Phoenix. The games developer Creative Intelligence Arts has a bunch of new updates.

The most imporant update is a new video of the games early Demo.

loading...

 

Tuesday - September 23, 2014

Project Phoenix - Has it Been a Year Already?

by Couchpotato, 05:54

Well it has been six months since my last update for the funded JRPG Project Phoenix. The games developer Creative Intelligence Arts has a bunch of new updates.

Has it been a year already?

a little over a year since we successfully Kickstarted this project. Over that time we’ve continued to take the feedback you’ve given us to work towards making an outstanding game. We want to thank you for your continued support of our project and wanted to let you know that we’re still chugging away on the V-Slice for Phoenix. 

To update you on the project, we’re currently recording the sound effects and voice overs for the game. If you’re one of our Founder level backers, check out the Founder Forums here for an exclusive preview of the sound bytes from the V-Slice.

Makes sure to let us know what you think of the sound bytes on our forums and wish the team a happy Phoenix birthday below!

Friday - January 24, 2014

Project Phoenix - New Community Manager

by Couchpotato, 01:01

Creative Intelligence Arts has an update about a New Community Manager.

New Community Manager

Hey everyone.  I am thrilled to introduce to you, Project Phoenix’s Community Manager!

As the game continues into development, my attention has been drawn to other aspects of the project, and away from the community itself. Thankfully, Wes was able to answer my call, and will be assisting with several aspects of the project (E-mail, Website, Social Media, and Phoenix Hangouts, etc). We have a shared vision for the direction we want to take the community, so expect some changes as we transition to a more involved and responsive project.

Please welcome him to the team! 

Cronus

Friday - January 17, 2014

Project Phoenix - Pledges & New Rewards

by Couchpotato, 01:29

The developers of the JRPG Project Phoenix sent out a new press release  with information about Paypal pledges, and new rewards.

Project Phoenix RPG Unveils Paypal Pledges and New Rewards

Tokyo, Japan – January 20, 2014 – After raising over $1 million through its crowdfunding campaign, Project Phoenix, Kickstarter’s first Japan-based video game project, continues its funding efforts through Paypal, which can be found on its website (http://www projectphoenix.info).  Currently, the Paypal system only works for new pledgers, who are encouraged to visit the pledges website at http://projectphoenix.info/pledge/ to contribute to Project Phoenix. 

The Paypal rewards list retains many features of its Kickstarter campaign.  Its tiers offer backers physical and digital copies of the game’s soundtrack composed by legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, the game’s artbook, a map of Azuregard, the setting for Project Phoenix, and a documentary about the making of Project Phoenix.  However, it also has a slate of new in-game items such as Death’s Mantle, a long, hooded accessory your characters can equip, a shadow phoenix pet, and, if you pledge higher, a shadow phoenix that serves as your character’s mount.

“We’re very excited to see our Kickstarter campaign continue through Paypal.   We’ve already been able to implement challenges like having your entire party battle inside a kraken.  Additional resources will allow us to make the journey through Azuregard a more enriching, engrossing experience,” says Project Phoenix Director Hiroaki Yura.  “On top of that, the rewards, particularly the shadow-themed ones, will help us show fans the darker side of Azuregard and give them a taste of what they can look forward to from the game’s story.”

Plans are in the works for Project Phoenix to allow current backers to upgrade their pledges and to open a storefront, where backers can purchase additional Project Phoenix items such as a 1/8 scale figurine of one of the game’s characters and other items currently in the planning process.  More information about these features will be unveiled when they’re ready.

Monday - January 13, 2014

Project Phoenix - New Concept Artwork

by Couchpotato, 04:23

DualShockers has some new concept artwork for the JRPG Project Phoenix.

Quite a while has passed since the end of the successful Kickstarter campaign for Project Phoenix, and the team at Creative Intelligence Arts is working hard on creating the world for its upcoming JRPG.

Today they released a lovely batch of new artwork showcasing a revised version of Zarum and concept artwork for the Orcs, Demons, tents and the massive Kraken.

The artwork is by Kojim Moriga, TAKE-B (whose real identity is still a mystery), Jun Okutani and Yumiko Sugihara, and you can check it out in the gallery below.

Thursday - January 09, 2014

Project Phoenix - Interview @ Gamingbolt

by Couchpotato, 00:35

Gamingbolt interviews Director Hiroaki Yura about Project Phoenix.

Ravi Sinha: Let’s get this out of the way: For being a squad based RTS JRPG, did you ever envision that Project Phoenix would have the level of success from its Kickstarter campaign that it did?

Hiroaki Yura: We’re as pleasantly surprised as most people are. Although we had had a few other Kickstarter projects that we looked towards as benchmarks, the reception that Project Phoenix received went beyond expectations.  For that, we’d definitely like to thank all of our backers for making this vision a reality and we’ll be hard at work bringing Project Phoenix to life!

Ravi Sinha: How did the idea come about for Project Phoenix? How was Creative Intelligence Arts Inc. formed and how did you finally decide on Kickstarter as the primary mode for funding?


Hiroaki Yura:  Project Phoenix started as a humble Tower Defense game aimed at funding another game we have planned at the moment, however as our group grew in staffing, we started getting interest in “doing things to the best of our abilities”. As we threw ideas around, I always loved RPGs and RTS and thought it’d be brilliant if we can put those two together.

CIA is a music company, it is being used as a company currently to host the Kickstarter service, however, we are planning to make a new game studio in the future before release. Kickstarter, well, we always had our aims for Kickstarter supporters since people who use the service often would probably love what we were thinking of, so it wasn’t a decision per say, it was one of earliest goals.

Thursday - October 03, 2013

Project Phoenix - Post-Funding Update #30 & 31

by Couchpotato, 00:24

Project Phoenix has two more post-funding updates in the last week.

The first update is about crowdfunding in Japan.

Crowdfunding and "Cool Japan"

This week brings us a bit of an interesting discussion on Crowdfunding and "Cool Japan" which was brought to light through this article that appeared in Nikkei, Japan's largest business publication.  For those of you who can't read it, the gist of it is that the concept of crowdfunding is in its nascent state in Japan but it can become a viable funding model for anime and Japan-based projects, particularly in light of the success that Little Witch Academia and Project Phoenix (wooo!) have experienced!

The second update is the promised Q&A with Cinematic Artist Koya Takashashi.

How did you get involved in Project Phoenix? Which is the main inspiration for your work in this project?

Mr. Yura invited me to work on the project and I actually didn’t even imagine that this project would grow so big in the beginning.

As it is my first time taking part in game development, I've listened carefully to other illustrators’ thoughts. Also, since Mr. Yura has a very detailed idea of the final image of the game, there are many times where I try to bring the designs as close as possible to his thoughts.

Thursday - September 26, 2013

Project Phoenix - New Staffers and Tomoki Miyoshi

by Couchpotato, 01:09

Project Phoenix has a new post-funding update with a new interview with Tomoki Miyoshi, and news of some new hires.

The past week has been pretty busy, especially with the madness of the Tokyo Game Show where we were able to see offerings like Titanfall and other future releases to help us understand where the game industry is heading.  We also delivered a talk on indie games which we’ll talk more about in the middle of this week.

As development continues, as promised, we’d like you to get a better understanding for what’s going on behind the scenes and in our heads.  Last week, we gave you all the opportunity to ask Project Phoenix composer Tomoki Miyoshi some questions and you guys delivered splendidly!  So with that, here’s Tomoki, in his own words with questions in bold followed by his answers.

Next Up: Artist Asami Hagiwara!

For next week, we’ll take a turn towards the art with Asami Hagiwara!  As we’ve mentioned previously, Asami Hagiwara has been responsible for many of the chibi designs you’ve been seeing in and around the Kickstarter (including the image at the bottom of this post!).  She’s also done artwork for MOGRA Paper, the monthly newspaper for one of the best-known otaku-oriented clubs in Japan’s Akihabara district.

So like last time, feel free to ask whatever questions you may have of Hagiwara-san.  Because of the time required for translations, we request that you get your questions in by noon, Pacific time (GMT -700) on Tuesday, Sept. 24.  We're all looking forward to your questions!

Takaharu Matsuo Joins the Team

As Project Phoenix continues to build up steam, we’re proud to announce the addition of Takaharu Matsuo to the team!  Now for those who aren’t aware of the work he’s done, Takaharu Matsuo is a 25-year veteran in the video games industry, starting out as a debugger for Japan’s Falcom Corp before moving on to do background scenes for such high profile games as Final Fantasy 6 and 7 and mechanical computer graphics modeling on Xenogears.  His more recent work includes titles as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon and he’ll be bringing that graphics expertise to Project Phoenix.  We hope you look forward to his work!

Wednesday - September 18, 2013

Project Phoenix - Plans for the Road Ahead

by Couchpotato, 00:57

Project Phoenix has a new post-funding update about the developers plans for future updates.

Now that the Kickstarter portion of the campaign is over, we begin the long process of bringing Project Phoenix from the concept stage into its final form and blazing glory!  Naturally, we’ll keep you all up to date with what’s going on in the back end, giving you more peeks into the developmental process, whether it’s gameplay, artwork, or story.

From here on out, you can expect an update every Monday through a developer's diary format along with maybe a few smaller updates during the week if warranted.

Developer diaries allow us to open it up so that our staff can go through their thought process and allow you to our team your burning questions!  And the first person stepping up will be Project Phoenix composer Tomoki Miyoshi!

If you’ve been following the music development on Project Phoenix, you’ll know that Tomoki’s showcased the theme for the Elven Glades on the CIA Soundcloud account and has a few other Elf-related themes in the pipeline.  Professionally, Tomoki’s also composed music for the SoulCalibur franchise.  Feel free to submit any questions you may have for him in the comments section by Wednesday so we have enough time to compile and send to him!

Sunday - September 15, 2013

Project Phoenix - Interview @ TwoDashStash

by Couchpotato, 00:12

TwoDashStash has posted a new audio interview with Hiroaki Yura the Lead Developer of the Project Phoenix.

Blane and Todd talk with Mr. Yura about the success of the project on Kickstarter, and how he went from a goal of $100,000 to getting over $1 million with over 15,000 backers. They also talk about the way Project Phoenix will differentiate itself from other JRPG’s and RTS games as well as how players will be able to interact with the game.

Hiroaki gives us a first look into the characters, enemies, story, and gameplay in this episode of the Indie Stash Cast! As an added bonus, find out what he meant by “Fight Inside the Kraken!” Trust us, it will blow your minds.

Friday - September 13, 2013

Project Phoenix - A New Journey Awaits

by Couchpotato, 00:51

Project Phoenix has been successfully funded. The developers have a new post-funding update with thanks, and more information on what is next.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

It’s difficult to put into words how grateful and awestruck we are for your support and continued interest in our endeavour, Project Phoenix. What started as little more than a spark of hope and memory of JRPGs in days gone by has, thanks to YOU, become a blazing reality. Quite literally, our dream meant nothing if people didn’t share our belief in it, and it is overwhelmingly clear by the figures generated in just a month that so many of you want Project Phoenix to take wing as much as we do.

Now that you have so loudly declared your support, it is our promise to you that we will work ceaselessly to ensure that Project Phoenix is as awesome as it can be.

 You can still support!

If you missed out on supporting us during this Kickstarter period, please be aware that you can still back the project and receive all relevant goodies via our Paypal store located here: http://projectphoenix.info/store/. More importantly, they’ll still count for stretch goals, so we’ll be sure to continually update on the total amounts we’ve received and what that means for us being able to broaden your gameplay experience!

What’s next?

As you can see from all the updates thus far, all the questions asked and answered and all the very talented people involved, we’re going to be extremely busy in the months ahead. We humbly ask that you understand that we are, despite the massive task ahead, a rather small team. It may take us some time to process all of the pledges, but please be aware that each and every backer of Project Phoenix made this possible.

Wednesday - September 11, 2013

Project Phoenix - Character Profiles & Final Push

by Couchpotato, 00:45

Project Phoenix gives out more information on the games NPC's in the first update.

On the heels of the story update featuring Yoko Enoki and Bill Benfield, we've gone ahead and added some character profiles on the Kickstarter front page!  If you scroll through, you can read up on brief bios of Marcus, Ruffles, Sylrianah, Zarum, and Gorek which we've reproduced here.

And the second update reminds everyone the kickstarter will end in eight hours.

With each passing hour, we come closer and closer to the end of the Kickstarter campaign.  The road's been long, but you guys have matched us passion for passion with every step of the way.  Before things wrap up completely, we do have a few things left to do.

Tuesday - September 10, 2013

Project Phoenix - New videos & Kickstarter Update

by Couchpotato, 00:48

The Project Phoenix kickstarter is almost over in 32 hours, and as you know it's a success. I have two more update for you today alspo. So read on if your still interested.

The first update has a new gameplay video and information about the story.

As you can see from the video, Project Phoenix aims to de-emphasize the more tedious aspects of the RTS genre like resource gathering and having to select and micromanage individual units so that we can focus on the aspects that matter most and are of most fun to many of you: the tactical planning in using environmental objects to gain that advantage AND the thrill of combat!

Furthermore, we know how important it is for you to be able to personalize your own squad, to give them your own flavor that reflects your personality.  So to that end, Project Phoenix allows you to deck out your characters in whatever gear suits your fancy and you will be able to see how those accessories and items look on your character so that each of your squad's look and feel will be uniquely yours!

Story update

Furthermore, there's a grand story to be told in the world of Azuregard.  More than anything else, the JRPG genre has excelled in getting people like you to identify with and empathize with the characters and draw you into the greater world events in which your characters are involved. 

Because of that, we'd like to present a bigger peek into the world of Azuregard and some of the personalities that inhabit it as well as the process of bringing the story to its finished form.  Yoko Enoki-san, our scenario writer will touch upon the story and characters while Bill Benfield, our editor will discuss the editing process and the tone that you can expect from the story.

The second update has another video about the games story, and some exclusive art only available on the consoles.

PS4/PS Vita Item Codes

We know you’ve been looking forward to a PS4/PS Vita version and so are we! As things stand, Project Phoenix can only be purchased and downloaded from the PlayStation Store. If this stance changes before the game launches, we will make sure to announce it immediately!

Furthermore, this impacts our ability to create individual item codes on the PlayStation Network. But worry not! We’ve come up with a solution that we think you’ll enjoy. Here’s how it’ll work: if you pledge $120 or more for the Treasure Hunter tier, you will receive a code to redeem the in-game items listed below on both the PS4 & PS Vita. We are currently looking into the possibility of adding backgrounds, screensavers and icons into this bundle to make it more awesome, and we’ll update you with more information as we progress.

Monday - September 09, 2013

Project Phoenix - Stretch Goal & Sylrianah Figurine

by Couchpotato, 00:21

Project Phoenix has a new update with news about the next stretch goal reached, and the Sylrianah figurine.

Another day, another stretch goal down!  Thank you so much for your support!  So as we move forward, only 3 days remain.  It'll take an Olympian ;) effort, so be sure to let your fellow JRPG fans know about this final push!

So while we continue strive forward, propelled by our passions and ability to succeed, we're amazed and grateful at the amount of support we've gotten from individual backers like yourselves and larger companies like Obsidian!  Well, we're proud to announce that one of our newest partners who've come on board is none other than Good Smile Company, the Japanese company famously known for making really awesome figurines from games and anime!

With this stretch goal down, all Treasure Hunter backers will receive that exclusive A4 poster while Digital Collector backers receive a digital copy of that same poster.

 

Saturday - September 07, 2013

Project Phoenix - The Squad Expands

by Couchpotato, 00:16

Project Phoenix has another update this week with info about new squad members that join you in the game.

    

Lance Guilliman belongs to a sacred order of knights whose oath upholds the ideals of chivalry, serving more as protectors and defenders rather than offensive might.  Because of this idealism, their numbers are few, but they command a great deal of respect in the Kingdom of Stern. 

Lance's conduct is considered exemplary amongst the Order and if he has any weakness at all, it's being unable to say "no" to anyone in need, even if it puts a great burden upon him.

Then there's Zarum, whose temper is only rivaled by his power.  When Tolkien wrote the warning that states, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger," he might have been referring to the Istari, but this is advice that those who encounter Zarum ought to heed, for when Zarum gets angry, the only things left in his wake are death, destruction, and suffering.

Friday - September 06, 2013

Project Phoenix - PS4 and Vita Release

by Couchpotato, 00:19

Project Phoenix has another update with news that the game will also be released on The PS4 and Vita.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve received many messages, e-mails, and queries about the possibility of the game being released on the PS4 and PS Vita and now, after long negotiations and discussions, that wish has become a reality!  So although not every single detail about the release has been finalized, we’re proud and excited at the prospect of developing for the Playstation platform. 

So what does this all mean for those of you who are interested in getting a PS4 or PS Vita version of Project Phoenix?  Well, we’re working on getting the pledge tiers ready through our Paypal donation page and will update you all accordingly when that's up and ready! 

Those who have already backed it through Kickstarter and prefer a PS4 or PS Vita version, please stay tuned to the updates page and we'll have more information on how to make the change once we're up and running.

Wednesday - September 04, 2013

Project Phoenix - A Quick Update

by Couchpotato, 01:23

Project Phoenix has another quick update with a new screenshot.

For those of you who've been following our Facebook Page, Gontaro has given us the opportunity to showcase one of his works in progress seen below. For those of you who don't know, that character featured is none other than Marcus Stern, son of Magnus, a brother to two siblings, but a bit distant from his family for reasons that will be explained later.

We bring him up not because he looks badass (though he does look the part :D), but because this opens the door to a quick, but, we believe, meaningful discussion.  As creators, developers, and storywriters working on an RPG, we really want to emphasize just how important characters are to some of the best JRPGs out there because it is through them that gamers truly connect with the game as a whole.

Whether it's Cloud Strife's search for his true identity or Ramza Beoulve's resoluteness in his commitment to justice in the face of treachery, the RPG hero's journey is one that captivates us through and through.  As we play, their struggles, their hardships become ours.  We embody their ideals, we empathize with them in their moment of weakness, but we also revel in their glories.

Later this week, we'll have people from the writing team go into greater depth about the story and character aspect of Project Phoenix.  For now, we hope this gives you something to think about and an idea of what we ultimately hope to achieve through our characters!

Tuesday - September 03, 2013

Project Phoenix - German Localization

by Couchpotato, 00:57

Project Phoenix has a new update with news that the game will now be available in German.

Our journey through Project Phoenix has rocked and rolled and even though we've been at it for over 20 days, there's still so much left to explore and unveil!  So while it is Labor Day in the US, we're still plugging away at it to deliver the next round of updates that will give you more insight into what we have in mind, whether it's a discussion on the story element or taking you through more of what we have in mind as far as gameplay is concerned.

But before we do that...

...we are proud to announce a Project Phoenix German localization!
Given the lofty standards we're shooting for, we are very fortunate to have found a team that is as passionate about Project Phoenix as we are!  But passion only goes so far.  On top of believing in our mission, their professionalism and experience are among the best out there as they've worked on titles as Xenoblade Chronicles, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and the manliest, badass anime of all time: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.  AAA experience? CHECK!  Za warudo? ....maaaaybe.

So come in and give our German localization team a warm welcome because thanks to them, fans will be able to play Project Phoenix in German, even before reaching our localization stretch goals!  They're giving up their time to do this and for that, we offer them much of our gratitude for this undertaking.

Monday - September 02, 2013

Project Phoenix - $650k Stretch Goal Reached

by Couchpotato, 00:10

Creative Intelligence Arts has another update for Project Phoenix. The update announces another stretch goal has been meet, and that more updates are on the way.

Thank you! $650k stretch goal reached!

We are exhilarated to announce that we've reached our second stretch goal!
This will allow us to create a more detailed and explorable 3D model of each major city/town. Now there will be so many things to explore, including many easter eggs and hidden "special" NPCs besides your usual shops, bars/inns etc.

Not only that, we will be providing players with a character customization on non-main characters. Currently, players will be able to customize gender, hair style, hair colour, beard and skin colour. Awesome!

More updates coming

We are in the middle of preparing a lot of other updates, I apologise for the lack of content right now. Hopefully they will be exciting for everyone!

Saturday - August 31, 2013

Project Phoenix - Forums & Devs

by Couchpotato, 00:02

Project Phoenix has a new update talking about the forums, and the developers.

Forum Registration

Developer Backers that pledged $400 or more will receive access to the forums first. As this group will amount to a maximum of 542 accounts, it will be much easier for me to manage the first week following Kickstarter campaign. We will then work on giving everyone else access to the forums in groups, by order of pledge level.

Each backer will be sent an e-mail requesting that you respond with your preferred username, and we will create the account, and send you a temporary password. This means that backers that pledged higher will be given the opportunity to choose a username first.

Developer Group

As listed in the rewards, Developers will gain access to the following:

- Private Discussions/Developer Forums

- Most Current Developer Build of the game

That’s a bit vague though, right? That was done intentionally, because I did not want to limit the access that we will be granting or promise anything we may be unable to deliver. Everyone has their own set of skills that they can bring to the development table. Whether it is programming knowledge or years of playing video games, we want your experience and insights on our team.

You will have access to the ideas that we are only discussing within the team, and be able to contribute to the conversation. Before anything is released this group will be aware of it first, which is why a NDA will be required.

Wednesday - August 28, 2013

Project Phoenix - The Director and Producer

by Couchpotato, 00:55

Project Phoenix has a new update. While it has nothing to do with the game it talks about The Director and Producer of the game.

I'd like to show everyone what I do besides being the Director and Producer for Phoenix, and what I'm capable of delivering with the people I work with. This is a promotional video for the game "Majin Station" by LEVEL 5. The animation is done by the same studio that does the Evangelion films, Khara (they are basically the same people from GAINAX who has taken over production of the series), and I co-ordinated, supervised and directed the music and SFX. The music is done by our very own Tomoki Miyoshi who will also be taking part with Project Phoenix.

Obviously, to do something of this quality would take a huge chunk of our budget away. I'd like to do something more, but it looks like "now" is not the time. We'd like to use our funds wisely and focus on a great content ie. a great fun game.

That been said, now you know where I come from and the quality in which we work.

Tuesday - August 27, 2013

Project Phoenix - Combat Update & Interview

by Couchpotato, 00:20

Project Phoenix has a new update with details about how the combat works. They even have a video showing us how the combat works.

Here's our first combat update video. We've realised that we have a huge amount of explaining to do in terms of combat, so decided to take it in little chunks at a time. The video may raise more questions and requests, but please understand that this is only a small handful of examples of how you can use the terrain to your advantage. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Also Gematsu has a new interview with Hiroaki Yura.

Could you briefly introduce the setting, characters, and gameplay of Project Phoenix for those who aren’t yet familiar with it?

Yura: Sure! Project Phoenix is a Japanese RPG that blends in [real-time strategy] elements into its battle system, taking the best that Eastern and Western game development has to offer. The game takes place on a world called Azuregard, which is a high-fantasy realm and is home to various human kingdoms as well as elves, dwarves, orcs, and other races which include those not native to the Western high fantasy.

When players experience the game, they will do so through the eyes of Marcus Stern, a Templar who encounters Ruffles, an angel who has amnesia, and doesn’t quite know who she is or why she was sent to Azuregard. Later on, the two meet Sylrianah, an elven princess, and Zarum the Lost, a Battlemage, and together, with other characters not yet announced, they’ll seek to put a stop to a conflict that threatens to engulf the land.

Sunday - August 25, 2013

Project Phoenix - Update#8, New Hires & Characters

by Couchpotato, 00:48

Creative Intelligence Arts has another update for Project Phoenix going into detail about the games characters.

As Project Phoenix continues to take form, we continue to add more people to the team whose experience and expertise match the project’s scope and scale. The two people we're proud to introduce today are Asami Hagiwara and Koji Moriga!

Asami Hagiwara’s work can be prominently seen in MOGRA Paper, the monthly newspaper released by the famous club in Akihabara of the same name that’s known for hosting DJs spinning video game, anime, and doujin music. Hagiwara will be hard at work, bringing her delightful “chibi” designs unto our characters. 

And then there’s Koji Moriga, whose name might raise an eyebrow, but whose work should be familiar to many of you. Titles like the Starship Troopers animated movie and Space Pirate Captain Harlock are but mild samplings of what he has done. This guy knows his monsters, having done many of the monster designs for Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin and will contribute that expertise and much much more as he populates Azuregard in all its monstrous glory!

Marcus and his band

Here is the very first look into the characters of Project Phoenix. These are obviously rough sketches and WIP based on the description GONTARO received from Yoko Enoki and not reflective of the final design/quality.

Until we finalise the designs and touch up on the quality, we'll not announce who they are and what they do, but we will tell you we are missing two more characters. This is not your usual modern day JRPG, and I hope you see why from this art.

If you want to download a bigger version of the art, please visit the link below.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z3um4l519c8hi4t/PP_main_chara_wip_ks01.jpg

Friday - August 23, 2013

Project Phoenix - Two More Updates

by Couchpotato, 01:17

Project Phoenix has two more updates on the games kickstarter website.

Update#6 deals with the Music and answers a few questions.

Music from Project Phoenix plays a large part in our game. There are several reasons to this, and one of the main reason is that I started out in this industry as a Music Director.

So today, I'd like to start off by talking to you about our core values of music in our game.

1) Music is awesome. Music can portray what picture can't and it gives colour to the very air you're breathing. The beauty is they are so much emotions that can be interpreted in many different ways by different people. It makes a scene memorable and gets gamers pumped for battle.

2) Music isn't everything. Time and time again, as a Music Director, I remind my composers that music isn't everything. Us, servants of music is always at the mercy of the "picture". We write music to "picture". We support and buff the picture to make the whole experience so much better. And of course, the picture means nothing without the game. In the end, we don't mean or amount to much without the game itself.

3) Less can be more. You really can't appreciate or know true happiness without experiencing sorrow. You won't know what loud is, without knowing soft. I believe that we shouldn't assault gamers with a tsunami wall of sound. Just because there's more people in the orchestra, it doesn't make the music more epic or awesome. Just because we're using silence, it doesn't mean we're lazy. We want to use "less" to good effect.

And Update#7 talks about a few minor topics.

Gameplay update coming soon

We're preparing a video on gameplay and we think we might be able to release it on Monday. We don't really know yet for sure, as we may just look at it after the edit and squirm and whinge... but we promise you to do our best since this is the most important update as we need to address the most important issue, what will the gameplay be like?

The video will basically have myself trying very hard to explain what it is going to be like and some illustrations to embellish on my point. The actual gameplay footage... is very far from ready so please understand that that won't be out for a while.

An official wiki page opens!

We've partnered with the fantastic folks at Curse.com and our official wiki has opened at the link below. Check it out!

http://projectphoenix.gamepedia.com/

Sylrianah themed Wallpaper

Since we are preparing for a largeish update and also working on several promotional activities, we couldn't really get you a nice chunky update today. So we decided to release some wallpapers of Princess Sylrianah so won't rage over the tiny update. We're sorry!

It's only in two sizes for now, but we will definitely listen to requests of other wallpaper sizes. You can download them from the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wx2gzzeyoxrvajk/_NPI3OwsJS

 

Wednesday - August 21, 2013

Project Phoenix - News Roundup

by Couchpotato, 00:56

Project Phoenix has two more updates posted on the games kickstarter page. The first update deals with scales and stretch goals.

New Stretch Goal

We’re announcing our new stretch goal for $800k! Backers that pledge $50 or more will receive a digital copy of a poster, and those who pledge $120 or more will receive the physical copy as well. The artwork that you receive will be a Kickstarter exclusive, and will not be included in the limited edition art book or be released ever again.

New Character Scale

Once we hit our $1.025M stretch goal, we will be able create a massive overworld. We’ll be using two of the scaled figures from the rough sketch below to populate this world.

The next update is about the PayPal option and a video from Nobuo Uematsu.

PayPal Option

For those of you who do not have an Amazon account and have been unable to support us through Kickstarter, we have set up a PayPal option on our site:

100% of the money that we receive on the website will also go to achieving the stretch goals. During the Kickstarter Campaign, PayPal backers will receive the same rewards as if they had pledged on Kickstarter. This will help us because we will be receiving additional funds to create the game, and Kickstarter will not be taking a cut of the profits. On September 11th, the Kickstarter exclusive rewards will be taken off of the website.

And finally we have a new interview from the Jace Hall Show.

Does this game have a shot at bringing back the JRPG? Heck, what even defines a JRPG in the modern age of gaming?

With Project Phoenix’s international team and pedigree, JRPG is not technically a game developed “only” in Japan, and the promise of updating the genre means borrowing from the design of other games.

So, what really defines a JRPG? Fortunately, I was able to sit down with Yura and discuss Project Phoenix and the concept behind.

Tuesday - August 20, 2013

Project Phoenix - Protagonist Reference Artwork

by Couchpotato, 00:03

DualShockers has some new concept artwork given to them from the games Lead Artist GONTARO.

We heard a lot about Project Phoenix (even more so in my recent interview with Game Director Hiroaki Yura), but we still did not see much in terms of visuals. At last today we get a treat from Creative Intelligence Arts in the form of the first “rough” reference artwork for the in-game model of the protagonist of the game Marcus Stern.

The artwork comes directly from the pen of Lead Artist GONTARO, and you can see it in its full glory just below (you click on it to enlarge to full resolution). Doesn’t he look lovely?

Sunday - August 18, 2013

Project Phoenix - Update #3, Leveling, Skills, and Squad Tactics

by Couchpotato, 00:40

Project Phoenix has a new update on the games leveling, skills, and squad tactics.

Please be aware that the following gameplay will be going through extensive playtesting; not just by us, but by our Kickstarter Developers, Alpha Testers, and Beta Testers be included. If we find out a mechanic does not work the way we intended, we will modify or change it completely for the betterment of the game.

Leveling & Skills

We are still deciding on a level cap between levels 80 – 100. Each level cap offers their own set of unique advantages and disadvantages. We don’t want to make the cap to high to where you have to needlessly grind the last 20 levels just to max out. We want our content to match your level, and provide you with a challenging yet fulfilling experience.

Leveling will work similarly to other RPGs. When you obtain a set amount of experience, you gain a level, and your stats increase. You will also gain a skill point that you can apply to one of two skill trees. We are not yet certain if you will receive a skill point upon gaining a level, or every two levels, etc. Either way, our intent is that it not be possible to max on each skill tree, even after reaching the level cap. This should provide multiple ways of customizing each character for any specific role that you require of them.

Character Classes

Although each class will start off with similar basic abilities, each will have their own different set of unique skill trees. We have announced four playable classes so far: Templars, Paladins, Pathfinders, and Battle Mages. More detailed information on Classes will be announced in future updates.

Saturday - August 17, 2013

Project Phoenix - News Roundup

by Couchpotato, 01:41

Project Phoenix has a new kickstarter update explaining the games stretch goals.

The following information will help to explain our former and current stretch goals in greater detail.  Thank you for your patience and continued support!

We will also be writing two additional zones into the story, as well as side stories for these areas.  We have some ideas for what we want to include, and we will be able to release more information after this stretch goal is achieved.

We are also in the process of creating a $800,000 stretch goal that will provide additional rewards to mid-tier backers, as well as enhancing some of the content in the game. 

We have future stretch goals already in mind, and will be releasing them as we continue to achieve our current goals.

I hope this information helps to more clearly state why we need your backing to reach our stretch goals, and create the best game possible.

Next RootGamer has an interview with Project Director Hiroaki Yura.

Seldom in my life thus far have I had the honor to sit down and chat with someone of such a calibur of personallity and conviction in all they do. Hiroaki Yura is one of those people and in his own right. He is the founder of the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, the Eminence Audio Production company, a violin virtuoso, and the founder of Creative Intelligence Arts, Inc. He has done numerous work in both the film and game industry with such notable game titles as Soul Calibur IV and Diablo III.

And lastly DualShockers has another interview with him.

Project Phoenix made the headlines due to the very successful start of its Kickstarter campaign and due to the stellar cast gathered by Director Hiroaki Yura to create the game, including acclaimed composer Nobuo Uematsu, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about this extremely interesting indie JRPG project.

That’s why I contacted Yura-san and arranged a chat with him, in order to ask more details about his vision for what could very well be a revolution in a genre that hasn’t exactly been explored that deeply by indie developers so far.

Luckily for us, turns out that Yura-san really had a lot to say, so take a seat, grab a cup of coffee and follow me into the world of Project Phoenix.

Friday - August 16, 2013

Project Phoenix - Interview @ Rpgsite.net

by Couchpotato, 01:02

Rpgsite.net interviews Hiroaki Yura Lead Director and Producer of the Project Phoenix.

RPG Site: You had already met your goal within 9 hours. I'm sure this has been pretty overwhelming for you. I had a few questions I wanted to ask. From the video, you clearly are not that happy with the way the state of the JRPG has been lately, saying that they have lost the essence of what a JRPG is about. What is your opinion on the direction that the Final Fantasy series has been going?

Yura: Oh, right. [laughs] You do know I am good friends with Mr. Sakaguchi? (Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy).

Final Fantasy is a great series. I have been a big fan of that series since I was very young. But it's just not the way that I wished it would have taken off. For me, my favorite Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy IX. This all comes down to what JRPG means to me. I have had a bit of a confidence problem two to three weeks back and I asked Sakaguchi-san if he was happy to see me. He's like, "What do you need to see me for?" and I said I wanted to study a bit with you. He said alright and he invited me to his place and we had a talk about what is JRPG.

He told me JRPG is about character. It was the exact same answer that the composer and the game designer Mr. Hiroki Kikuta who did Secret of Mana, and is also a good friend of mine, and who I also asked what JRPG was about. So character is good, but I realized they were the people that were there right at the beginning of Squaresoft and I have to really get the 2013 answer of what JRPG is about. More importantly, what my answer of what JRPGs are about. I really feel that JRPGs, although they say it is about character, to me it's about the story and how moving and how important and how profoundly it affects the players.

RPG Site: And also the dynamic between the characters and their relationship and how it affected the overall story. To me, the overall story wasn't that important; it was about what are these people inside this story. What are they doing, how they are speaking to each other, and how they are reacting to what is going on. Is that sort of approach something you also think is important from that time?

Yura: It's important, but these games have taken a different approach. Sakaguchi-san was telling me about that for Chrono Cross or Chrono Trigger, it's not like it's about how much they have been speaking and how much the main character speaks, which is not a hell of a lot. It's not like a Western RPG where they kind of talk but it was a unique thing. I realy like Western RPGs, but I don't really find the appeal with them as I do Japanese RPGs. I am not saying that combat shouldn't be important, but the biggest sell for a JRPG is story.

Now, this JRPG project, Project Phoenix, is not really about a JRPG for Japanese fans. This project is a JRPG for the world.

Wednesday - August 14, 2013

Project Phoenix - Update #1, Online Play and Offline Play

by Couchpotato, 01:14

Project Phoenix has almost tripled it's funding in two days, and has a new update to go along with it.

$300,000! Thank you so for helping us reach our first stretch goal!  The additional models, and extended music will allow us to create a better gaming experience for you, and all future gamers of Project Phoenix.  As an additional treat, we've discussed your concerns over DRM, and have decided on the following two modes of play: 

Online Play - internet connection required

Players will use their login ID and password for their account to log in. However, you will have access to the following online services:

1) Claiming Kickstarter Reward Items

2) Online profiles (more to be explained in coming weeks)

3) Gain Achievements

4) Accessing your saved games from any operating system on any machine

5) Access to Updates and Bug fixes

6) Multiplayer - if the upcoming stretch goal is reached

Offline Play - no internet connection required

After entering the activation key, the game will be able to play in Offline Playwithout requiring an internet connection or you to login.

You may install the game onto multiple computers. The save data will be stored locally and is transferable between different computers. Only the single player feature will be available of the game.

* Offline Play saves will not be able to access Online content .

** Online Play will not be affected by internet shortages during single player play, as it will continue to sync until successful - we are currently working out the details to prevent abuse if this happens.

So the good news is that you can choose between Online and Offline styles of gameplay, and between these different styles for each save that you create. We hope we have answered our backer's calls for a DRM free version of the game!

Tuesday - August 13, 2013

Project Phoenix - Kickstarter Launched and Funded

by Couchpotato, 01:10

Project Phoenix has started their kickstarter and is already funded in one day. Who says JRPG's are dead. Here are the details of the game.

Project Phoenix is a SQUAD-BASED, REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAME combined with strong Japanese RPG design influences, brought to you by top Eastern and Western creators who have worked on many blockbuster game titles.

Platforms: Mainly for Windows, Mac and Linux via Steam and our website. iOS and Android will have a different version to the PC counterparts due to limitations.

We are also working to have the game released on PlayStation 4 and other platforms but is yet to be confirmed.

Sunday - August 11, 2013

Project Phoenix - A New PC JRPG from Final Fantasy Vets

by Couchpotato, 00:16

Project Phoenix is an indie JRPG with real-time strategy elements. Its Kickstarter campaign will launch in a few days, and it's asking for $100,000.

The development team members have an impressive array of credits, including the Final Fantasy series, Halo 4, Crysis 3, L.A. Noire, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Soulcalibur V, Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu, and much more. Several of the members are yet to be announced, including a secret designer from a leading anime mecha title that changed the course of Japanese pop culture's influence in the world.

The Project Phoenix Kickstarter is seeking $100,000 to fund the programming and artistic development of the game. Backers have the opportunity to secure digital and limited edition physical copies of the title, along with the chance to be featured as non-playable characters such as a bar owner with their own personal musical theme composed by Uematsu. Stretch goals also include the creation of additional areas, graphics and cinematics, as well as the talents of Grammy Award winning sound engineer John Kurlander (Lord of the Rings trilogy, Skyrim, The Beatles) and the Eminence Symphony Orchestra bringing the music of Uematsu and his co composers to life.

Players will follow the story of the amnesiac angel, Ruffles, who has landed in the world of Azuregard and encounters the troubled Templar, Marcus Stern. Together with the elven princess Sylrianah, who is reserved but curious to see the world beyond the forest, and Zarum the Lost, a battlemage with his own internal conflicts, they form an unlikely bond. These four heroes must discover their place in a world brought to war by misunderstanding and ignorance, and perhaps ultimately even save it from itself.

Project Phoenix is a sprawling adventure where you will travel and battle enemies across Azuregard. The game departs from traditional JRPG conventions through its use of RTS elements, yielding a combat system that is fast paced and dynamic. Furthermore, players can have their characters interact with environmental terrain features, be it rope bridges or boulders, to create tactical advantages.

Project Phoenix is scheduled for release in mid 2015 for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. Excited fans can venture to projectphoenix.info to learn more about the game's development and join the community forums. Game director Hiroaki Yura and team members will be there to answer fan questions about the development of Project Phoenix.

Information about

Project Phoenix

Developer: Creative Intelligence Arts

SP/MP: Single + MP
Setting: Fantasy
Genre: J-RPG
Combat: Real-time
Play-time: 40-60 hours
Voice-acting: Partially voiced

Regions & platforms
World
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Cancelled
· Publisher: Creative Intelligence Arts