Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record is an announced VR omnibus of Panzer Dragoon content developed by Wildman, Inc. It is a dramatic shooter intended to allow players to relive “various episodes” of Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga in VR.[1]
Creator Haruto Watanabe, a fan of Panzer Dragoon, stated that he hopes to make a safe game that values the original. Wildman has no plans to develop a non-VR version of the game.[2]
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record was unveiled on March 10, 2020, the 25th anniversary of the original Panzer Dragoon.[1] The game was originally scheduled to be released in the 2020 Japanese Fiscal Year (which went until March 2021). However, its crowdfunding was delayed until 2021,[3] so the current release window is unknown.
On October 4, 2021, the Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record Twitter account was hijacked,[4] falsely tweeting in English and Japanese that the game was cancelled, Watanabe passed away, and Sega cancelled Wildman's contract. The tweets were deleted and Watanabe's friends confirmed that he is still alive.[5][6] Wildman has requested the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate the incident.[4]
Development[]
Haruto Watanabe began developing a Panzer Dragoon-like virtual reality game titled The Gunner of Dragoon in 2014.[7] Displayed at the Bitsummit independent game expo in Japan that year,[8] the game utilized the Panasonic Joba exercise device to simulate riding on the back of a dragon.[9] Reportedly, The Gunner of Dragoon was never monetized or released.[7]
Watanabe founded his own game company, Wildman Inc., in July 2018.[10] Naoki Horii, a representative director of Japanese game developer M2, was impressed by The Gunner of Dragoon and introduced Watanabe to Sega. Watanabe did not originally plan to develop a Panzer Dragoon game; instead, he asked Sega for permission to use the Blue Dragon in The Gunner of Dragoon. However, Sega encouraged him to pursue obtaining the Panzer Dragoon license, and he ultimately pitched the idea of a Panzer Dragoon VR game. A Panzer Dragoon project was also considered for the Nintendo 3DS, but the idea was scrapped in favor of the VR title.[11]
The game will be published by Wildman Inc., with Sega having no investments in the project; Watanabe has accepted the risks, arguing that if Sega was financially involved and the game failed, it would damage the Panzer Dragoon franchise, which he wants to avoid.[11]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Panzer Dragoon Legacy - Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record Announced, a New VR Panzer Dragoon Game!
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PanzerDragoonVR/status/1366775956417826818
- ↑ Panzer Dragoon Legacy - Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record Crowdfunding Is Delayed Until 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Panzer Dragoon Legacy - Wildman Confirms Hijacking of the Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record Twitter
- ↑ Gematsu - Panzer Dragoon: Voyage Record cancelled following death of Wildman producer and CEO Haruto Watanabe [Update]
- ↑ Eurogamer - Panzer Dragoon VR future uncertain as producer falsely reported dead
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Road to VR - Sega Saturn Classic ‘Panzer Dragoon’ is Coming to VR in All-new Game
- ↑ Bitsummit - The Gunner of Dragoon
- ↑ Polygon - Sega’s Panzer Dragoon series returns as a VR game
- ↑ The story behind the birth of "Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record". How did a young man start a company and "sell his own Panzer Dragoon"? - 4Gamer
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Panzer Dragoon Legacy - 4Gamer Interviews Wildman Inc. about Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record
External links[]
| Original series | Panzer Dragoon (PC conversion • Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 27) • II Zwei • Saga • Orta |
|---|---|
| Remakes | Panzer Dragoon: Remake • II Zwei: Remake • Voyage Record |
| Handheld games | Mini • Tiger Electronics |
| Non-Panzer Dragoon games | Crimson Dragon • Crimson Dragon: Side Story |
| Developers | Team Andromeda • Smilebit • Land Ho • MegaPixel Studio • Wildman, Inc |
| Publishers | Sega • Forever Entertainment • TA Publishing • Wildman, Inc |
| Staff | Yukio Futatsugi • Tomohiro Kondo • Akihiko Mukaiyama • Haruto Watanabe |