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When it was first revealed at last year’s E3, one of the biggest surprises about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was its publisher: Activision. Before, From Software tended to work almost exclusively with Japanese publishers, and hadn\u2019t worked with an American company to release their games\u00a0since 2009\u2019s Ninja Blade (published by Microsoft), opting instead to work with publishers like Bandai Namco, Sony, and Capcom. But as with Sekiro itself, which aims to distinguish itself among From Software games, the deal between From and Activision breaks new ground for both companies.<\/p>\n
When From first began working on Sekiro, the leadership group didn\u2019t have a particular publisher in mind. The studio was in talks with various companies\u00a0about the project.\u00a0\u201cActivision actually showed the most keen interest in the project proposal,\u201d says Yasuhiro Kitao, From Software\u2019s manager of marketing and communications. For its part, Activision was looking to expand outside its usual shooter and platforming wheelhouse, and working with a premiere Japanese developer like From presented the chance to do exactly that. \u201cSekiro adds something very different and special to our lineup of games,\u201d says Michelle Fonseca, senior product and marketing director at Activision.<\/p>\n
At that time, what Sekiro would actually be<\/em>\u00a0was still up in the air. \u201cIt certainly wasn’t Sekiro when we first started talking with From Software,\u201d Fonseca says. \u201cMiyazaki was really interested in creating something in Japan, and specifically in the Sengoku period, he was really interested in that time period. So they thought Tenchu would fit with his interest.\u201d Both companies have a history with the Tenchu franchise, with Activision having\u00a0published the series\u2019 early titles in North America (and was the worldwide publisher of Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins in 2000) and From having taken over the series in 2004. From even developed a title in the series, Shadow Assault, in 2008.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Click here to watch embedded media<\/a><\/p>\n But while\u00a0Tenchu\u00a0seemed to fit thematically with what the series was going for, as the game continued to take shape tying it to that franchise began to make less sense. \u201cIt became clear to both sides that this was something unique and special, and something that should be an experience on its own,\u201d Fonseca says. \u201cIf you attach it to an IP that is known and beloved by fans, you become constrained.\u201d From then began shaping what would become the world of Sekiro.<\/p>\n As Activision and From continued to work together, both companies saw the partnership as mutually beneficial. \u201cThey offered to help us with areas that we don\u2019t consider our expertise, such as user testing, offering feedback in regards to usability, things like this,\u201d Kitao says. From sends Activision builds of the game every week, and the latter uses its large user research and quality assurance teams to give From feedback when it comes to onboarding new players. “We\u2019re getting a lot of stimulation from the ideas they give us,” Kitao says.<\/p>\n On the flip side, From brings with it an enormously passionate fanbase, and Activision knows it has to tread carefully. \u201cFrom has always had this sense of mystery in their games, so there’s a fine balance between walking people through the experience and allowing them to discover it,\u201d Fonseca says. \u201cWe’ve been very thoughtful on what to show and how to keep that right pace for the fans. We don’t want to show too much [in the marketing], either. There’s a lot that we want to reserve for people to discover on their own.\u201d Activision doesn\u2019t want to lose what makes From games special, so it\u2019s letting the developer do as it pleases with their feedback. \u201c[Activision has] given us all creative control of the project,\u201d Kitao says. \u201cEverything past the start screen is From\u2019s jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to say how the final product of From and Activision’s partnership will turn out, but our extended time with the game definitely looks to preserve the spirit From has instilled in all of its games, while hopefully letting them reach a wider audience. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great collaboration that we\u2019re proud of,\u201d Kitao says.<\/p>\n This is our final feature on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for the month. To learn more about what From has up their sleeve when the game launches on March 22, click on the banner below to see all of our previous coverage.<\/p>\n When it was first revealed at last year’s E3, one of the biggest surprises about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was its publisher: Activision. Before, From Software tended to work almost exclusively with Japanese publishers, and hadn’t worked with an American company to release their games since 2009’s Ninja Blade (published by Microsoft), opting instead to work with publishers like Bandai Namco, Sony, and Capcom. But as with Sekiro itself, which aims to distinguish itself among From Software games, the deal between From and Activision breaks new ground for both companies.<\/p>\n When From first began working on Sekiro, the leadership group didn’t have a particular publisher in mind. The studio was in talks with various companies about the project. “Activision actually showed the most keen interest in the project proposal,” says Yasuhiro Kitao, From Software’s manager of marketing and communications. For its part, Activision was looking to expand outside its usual shooter and platforming wheelhouse, and working with a premiere Japanese developer like From presented the chance to do exactly that. “Sekiro adds something very different and special to our lineup of games,” says Michelle Fonseca, senior product and marketing director at Activision.<\/p>\n At that time, what Sekiro would actually be<\/em> was still up in the air. “It certainly wasn’t Sekiro when we first started talking with From Software,” Fonseca says. “Miyazaki was really interested in creating something in Japan, and specifically in the Sengoku period, he was really interested in that time period. So they thought Tenchu would fit with his interest.” Both companies have a history with the Tenchu franchise, with Activision having published the series’ early titles in North America (and was the worldwide publisher of Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins in 2000) and From having taken over the series in 2004. From even developed a title in the series, Shadow Assault, in 2008.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s3.amazonaws.com\/prod-media.gameinformer.com\/styles\/body_default\/s3\/2019\/01\/07\/1fed0a01\/hubad.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
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