Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV Interview – Bringing the Series to Switch and Significant Advancements in Mechanics

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV was a rather significant release in the series as it marks some of the more creative advancements in the series. Fans can appreciate how the series evolves over the years, but the developer has stayed true to the strategic war systems they’ve been developing over the long-running franchise.

When it comes to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack, not only do we get the first entry on Nintendo Switch, but we also see how the team plans to introduce new elements of gameplay into the already unique mechanics.

To learn more about the expansion, we had the opportunity to interview producer Kazuhiro Echigoya and learn more about the update and the future of the series.

Azario Lopez: It’s now been a year since the launch of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV. How long after the launch was it decided to focus on the additional content offered in the Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack?

Kazuhiro Echigoya: We started to focus on the expansion after development of Season Pass 1 was completely finished. Until then, we were completely focused on the development of Season Pass 1.

AL: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack will be playable on Switch. What are your thoughts on fans being able to play this game on the go? Looking forward, do you see yourself wanting to focus on making sure the series sees a release on Switch?

KE: The game itself is quite long and to be played without haste, so we think it is a great match for the portable Switch platform. There is a big market for the Switch, so I think we will continue to release the series for it.

AL: Did you encounter any difficulties when porting the game to Switch?

KE: In order to match the specs, it took us a long time to adjust and reduce things while trying to maintain the quality. The touchscreen support was also a challenge.

AL: On that note, let’s talk about next-gen hardware. While Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack doesn’t have a PS5 version, do you see ways or possibilities that the series can utilize the more powerful hardware?

KE: I think that the dramatic expression and combat expression are still up to par yet, so we want to strengthen these areas when moving on to the next-gen hardware. Another way of looking at it is that it’s inevitable that we enter the next-gen consoles in order to improve these expressions.

AL: The Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack features three new scenarios. Why were these three chosen to include in the expansion?

KE: We added time periods which are considered essential to those who are familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms. When choosing scenarios, we take into account the variations of the arrangement of forces, but we also receive a lot of feedback that while players are aware of these considerations, they still want certain time periods included, so these scenarios were chosen in response to those requests.

AL: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has a long history of innovation over the years. Are the new features of the Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack something that we can expect to see in future installments? More importantly, do you find it difficult to evolve the series across each entry?

KE: I’d like to continue with these new features. It’s certainly difficult to evolve with each new entry, but as a fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I also feel that it is a lot of fun to explore more of the “what if” history. I feel lucky to be able to work on a subject that is so much alluring, epic and has depth.

AL: With a gaming market full of action-focused, live service, and fast rewarding titles, where does a series like The Romance of the Three Kingdoms fit in and find new fans, primarily when those titles are geared towards the newer generation of gamers?

KE: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has been developed as games that directly depict the allure and human drama of the subject of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and allow players to experience a “what if” history. I think that it is an unchanging subject that appeals to everyone of any generation.

Of course, we have been evolving the system to suit the current times, but the core of what we want to portray remains unchanged. In addition, there are still many things that we have not yet been able to portray. In other words, we have not yet reached the end of our resources, with plenty material left. I believe that if we dig deep into it, the games will naturally appeal to all generations and will definitely continue to be highly original products.

AL: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV has plenty of diehard fans. How do you address feedback from players on new systems or mechanics? Has anything been added based on player input?

KE: If the feedback is considered to fit with the base system and make the game more interesting, we actively incorporate it. We try to keep the data of officers up to date by following input from players and public opinion.

AL: Is there anything you’d like to tell fans looking forward to the release of the Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack?

KE: Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 has been well-received in Asia, and the Expansion Pack further extends that world, so we hope you will give it a try! We are proud of this game as being one of the best based on the fascinating subject of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, especially in terms of how characters are depicted, and is full of depth for many hours of gameplay. We hope that this will be an opportunity for you to try the game!

Three Kingdoms XIV: Diplomacy and Strategy Expansion Pack is available now on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC-via Steam.