The president of developer Nihon Falcom, Toshihiro Kondo, was recently interviewed by multiple Chinese outlets in the lead-up to the launch of the latest mainline entry in the Ys franchise, Ys X Nordics.
Thankfully, two of these interviews by outlets Bonfire and A9VG have been translated by Falcom community member Hansuke and several collaborators. These discussions are quite dense and address plenty of facets regarding Ys X Nordics and the franchise as a whole.
Both outlets asked one question near the end of their respective interviews regarding the potential for a remake of Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand. For those unaware, this is the only entry not to have received any modern port or remake.
In response, Kondo emphasized that Falcom’s focus is usually on new games, but there is definitely a desire within the staff to remake Ys V. In fact, he’s hoping to remake Ys V before he retires.
You can view the question and response from the Bonfire interview below, translated by Hansuke and edited by Lanju/Ranza:
Q: Is there any chance of a remake of Ys V?
A: Actually, every time we discuss the development of a new game internally, someone will ask if we want to work on “Ys V,” but when I ask if we want to work on a new game or do a remake, most of my colleagues will say, “It’s better to work on a new game.”
Ys V is a game I played at the time when I was a student at a university, and the script and its systems are very different and unique compared to games today. A remake would require significant changes, and the cost and labor would probably be more than just making it as a new game, which would still be challenging from the company’s perspective. Personally, I hope I can accomplish this goal before I retire…
The notion of an Ys V remake is not new, as it was even addressed earlier this year, with Kondo stating that it would require story alterations.
However, this new response is more in-depth, showing that Kondo feels strongly about remaking this entry, so there’s a fair chance it’ll happen. At this point, it’s just a matter of when.
