Lollipop Chainsaw, the 2012 hack-and-slash action game for PS3 and Xbox 360, is officially getting a sequel, as well as an anime Spin-off, more than a decade after the title originally released. Dragami Games, the successor studio to the original game’s developer, Kadokawa Games, will develop the new game. This is the same developer who handled the development of Lollipop Chainsaw RePop, a remaster of the first game that released on Console and PC last year.
The action game received a cult audience back in 2012 for its upbeat, sparkly take on zombie slaying, which was juxtaposed with horror-oriented Zombie titles, which were growing in popularity at the time (The Walking Dead was entering its third year on AMC). It also helped that Suda51, best known for games like No More Heroes and Killer 7, was the director behind the game, and, this is true, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn wrote at least a portion of the script.
The press release announcing this states that the franchise has passed the 1.5 million sales mark, though it is important to note that only around 250,000 of these sales come from the remaster, with most being part of the original game’s sales. While we didn’t have the opportunity to review it here, the remaster received a somewhat mixed response. There is a range of reasons behind this, with the game missing much of its iconic soundtrack, such as The Runaways’ Cherry Bomb, as well as muddled visuals and gameplay between two versions of the game that offered minimal differences.
Initially, the plan was to fully remake Lollipop Chainsaw, a plan that was scrapped in favor of the game being as close to the original as possible, leading to a large delay in the project. Today’s presser states similarly that they aim to release a sequel that aligns with fans’ desires, something as close to the original as possible. It was also stated that “key staff members” will return for the development, though no names were dropped. Given that James Gunn is the head of the DC Cinematic Universe now, it is hard to imagine his return. Suda51 isn’t mentioned, but is a possible person to return, though he is currently involved in Hotel Barcelona with his friend Swery65, as well as being executive director on the upcoming Romeo Is A Deadman.
The Press statement reads:
Under the strong partnership between Nada Holdings and Dragami Games, development is already underway on a brand-new Lollipop Chainsaw title that both preserves and builds upon the appeal of the original.
With a firm commitment to honoring the spirit of the original work, the development team includes key staff members who were involved in the previous title. The new project is also being developed with close attention to fan feedback.
The statement then continues to state that the sequel will not be toned down due to “DEI”, as well as not losing its “distinctive tone”. Given that No More Heroes III featured a “F*** Racism Hoodie” for lead Travis Touchdown to wear, maybe Suda51 will be too busy to be involved? Either way, statements like this continue to feel like a marketing ploy to convince players to overlook issues stemming from actual development. It most certainly worked for Duke Nukem Forever… Oh, wait… One of the biggest social media meltdowns concerning the RePop edition of the game was the perceived censorship of the main character, 18-year-old Juliet Starling’s jiggle physics, so much so that you would be excused if you forgot that wasn’t the entire game.
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