There’s an old creative rule that says if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Danganronpa 2×2 seems determined to ignore that rule. Developed by Gemdrops and published by Spike Chunsoft, the game revisits what many fans consider the strongest entry in the series. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is widely regarded as the high point of the franchise, so seeing the team return to it instead of continuing the series was already unexpected. What’s even more surprising is that Slayhem Mode rewrites the murders, victims, culprits, and class trials into an entirely new scenario. Even Kazutaka Kodaka doesn’t look back on Goodbye Despair as a game that needed fixing. “Man, we did a good job,” he told us.
That philosophy carried through our entire conversation with Kodaka-san and producer Shohei Sakakibara at Anime Expo. They spoke about treating Slayhem Mode as something entirely new while keeping the characters and Jabberwock Island at its core. We also discussed rebuilding every mystery from the ground up, why fan expectations didn’t shape the story, revisiting Monokuma after years away, and what players can expect when Danganronpa 2×2 launches in early 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. You can pre-order the Psycho Tropical Vacation Package edition now.
Azario Lopez: When returning to Danganronpa 2 after so many years, what was the first thing you knew you wanted to protect about the original story, and what were you more excited to change?
Kazutaka Kodaka: Basically, the characters and the setting of Jabberwock Island. At the same time, there are many new locations within that setting.
The incidents that occur are different, and the victims and culprits are all different. The tricks are different as well, so there’s a lot to look forward to.
Azario Lopez: What was the biggest challenge in creating Slayhem Mode as a full alternative scenario rather than simply adding new cases to the game?
Kazutaka Kodaka: From a scenario perspective, it was the tricks. Since all of the tricks had to be changed, that was the most difficult part of writing the scenario.
Shohei Sakakibara: All of the in-game character portraits also had to be redrawn, so preparing all of those was a lot of work.
As you’ve seen, Jabberwock Island has been renewed as well. Areas such as the hotel and resort look different, and the user interface has also been refreshed. From a development perspective, creating all of that took a lot of work.
There’s still plenty more, but please wait for future announcements.
Azario Lopez: That leads into my next question. Slayhem Mode changes the victims, culprits, and murder tricks. With so much time between releases, did modern technology and new ideas come into play?
Was it a matter of adding modern advancements, or did you put yourself back into the mindset you had when releasing the original game, especially for the mystery aspects?
I feel like creators evolve every two or three years and have to keep pushing themselves. With The Hundred Line behind you now, along with all of these other games, did you return to the mindset of Goodbye Despair, or did you approach this world from where you are now?
Kazutaka Kodaka: Other than the characters, we approached it with the feeling that we were creating something new.
In Slayhem Mode, I think you’ll also be able to see different sides of these characters that weren’t shown in the original Danganronpa 2.
Azario Lopez: Is Danganronpa 2×2 designed for returning players or new players? Can new players jump in right away and play Slayhem Mode?
Shohei Sakakibara: We’re aiming for both. That’s why Danganronpa 2×2 includes Original Mode and the new scenario in Slayhem Mode.
For someone playing Danganronpa for the first time, we would like them to start with Original Mode and then move on to Slayhem Mode.
Azario Lopez: How much did fan attachment to specific characters influence the decisions you made when developing Slayhem Mode?
Kazutaka Kodaka: Basically, when it comes to the scenario, we don’t listen to fan opinions very much. We depict the characters as we understand them.
I know these characters better than the fans do.
Azario Lopez: Was it difficult to kill certain characters?
Sometimes anime has a problem where a character becomes too good or popular, so the creators don’t kill them off. Attack on Titan, for example, killed a bunch of people during its first season but kept much of its central group for the rest of the series.
Was it difficult to kill off a fan-favorite character early in this game?
Kazutaka Kodaka: No.
I hope players will wait with excitement, wondering who will be the next person to die.
Azario Lopez: With this game also modernizing some other aspects, looking back at Danganronpa 2 around its launch, was there anything you later thought you needed to return to?
Maybe a year after launch, did you ever look back and think, “I could change that,” or, “I could fix this,” and now you have the chance? Or was this simply a project that came across your desk?
Kazutaka Kodaka: No. That wasn’t the case. When I looked back at the original after it was released, I thought, “Man, we did a good job.”
Azario Lopez: Yeah, it’s a perfect game.
Shohei Sakakibara: Along those lines, Original Mode is essentially unchanged from the original game.
Azario Lopez: If Slayhem Mode is well received, do you think you might add something similar to the other Danganronpa releases?
Shohei Sakakibara: The premise of Danganronpa 2 happened to work well for adding Slayhem Mode.
Trying to do the same thing with the other games might not work as well from a narrative perspective, so it could be difficult.
Azario Lopez: We’ll let the players come back to you with their feedback, and then we’ll see.
Azario Lopez: Was it difficult to kill certain characters?
Sometimes anime has a problem where a character becomes too good or popular, so the creators don’t kill them off. Attack on Titan, for example, killed a bunch of people during its first season but kept much of its central group for the rest of the series.
Was it difficult to kill off a fan-favorite character early in this game?
Kazutaka Kodaka: No.
I hope players will wait with excitement, wondering who will be the next person to die.
Azario Lopez: With this game also modernizing some other aspects, looking back at Danganronpa 2 around its launch, was there anything you later thought you needed to return to?
Maybe a year after launch, did you ever look back and think, “I could change that,” or, “I could fix this,” and now you have the chance? Or was this simply a project that came across your desk?
Kazutaka Kodaka: No. That wasn’t the case. When I looked back at the original after it was released, I thought, “Man, we did a good job.”
Azario Lopez: Yeah, it’s a perfect game.
Shohei Sakakibara: Along those lines, Original Mode is essentially unchanged from the original game.
Azario Lopez: If Slayhem Mode is well received, do you think you might add something similar to the other Danganronpa releases?
Shohei Sakakibara: The premise of Danganronpa 2 happened to work well for adding Slayhem Mode.
Trying to do the same thing with the other games might not work as well from a narrative perspective, so it could be difficult.
Azario Lopez: We’ll let the players come back to you with their feedback, and then we’ll see.
Azario Lopez: Here at Anime Expo, what has it been like being around the fans and experiencing the North American fan base? Is it different from the Japanese fan base?
Kazutaka Kodaka: It may simply be a cultural difference, but the fans here feel more passionate than the fans in Japan.
There are many people who strongly express themselves and communicate what they like about a game or its characters. They’re more outwardly expressive about those feelings than what we typically see in Japan.
Azario Lopez: I think it says a lot about Monokuma’s staying power as a character. You have larger, long-running brands like Sonic and Mario, but I think Monokuma has found this niche appeal with his fan base.
When the trilogy ended, was it difficult for you to walk away from that character? You’re now being reintroduced to him, but during that time away, was it difficult for you at all?
Maybe in your nightmares?
Kazutaka Kodaka: Not really. I’m always creating something new.
At the time, I focus on that particular project and its characters. Once I finished Danganronpa, I moved on from it and focused on whatever I was creating next.
However, I do think there may be parts of Monokuma that are similar to me. I can write Monokuma’s dialogue anytime and as much as I want without even having to think about it. I don’t know why.
Azario Lopez: What about the Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE series? Is there currently any movement on that series or plans for a sequel?
Kazutaka Kodaka: That’s up to Spike Chunsoft, and it depends on the level of fan demand.
Azario Lopez: Now you’re going to get messages.
Azario Lopez: With Danganronpa 2×2 getting closer to release and this ramp-up toward connecting more closely with the fans, is there anything you would like them to know?
Kazutaka Kodaka: We’ve announced that the game will be released in early 2027, so there is still some time to wait. In the meantime, please play RAIN CODE.
If you play RAIN CODE first, Danganronpa 2×2 will be 100 times more interesting.
Shohei Sakakibara: Also, since this is a remake of Danganronpa 2, if you haven’t played the first Danganronpa, please give it a try.
The first game was also adapted into an anime, so you can watch that and learn how the series began as you prepare for Danganronpa 2×2.
