Super Mario RPG’s original director is “very pleased” about the remake despite not being involved

The director of the original SNES title, Chihiro Fujioka, is not involved in the remake of the game due to release later this year; however, he has stated that he is interested in getting to play it.

The details:

• During a recent Nintendo Direct, a remake of the 1996 classic Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was announced, showcasing its brand new 3D art style while retaining the original's isometric viewpoint. The game will retain the SNES game's story and gameplay, implying that Nintendo and Square Enix are listening to fan requests to keep things simple.
• Despite the return of the original soundtrack's composer, Yoko Shinomura, director Fujioka has confirmed that he is not involved in the remake in any way. In response to a fan's question about whether he was working on the remake with Nintendo, he stated that he was not involved in the remake but was "very surprised and pleased with the news." In response to another fan, the former director expressed gratitude for their kind words but stated that the announcement was once again "very surprising news," implying that Fujioka was not approached by Nintendo.
• Fujioka stated in an interview last year that if given the opportunity, he would like to work on a sequel to Super Mario RPG as his final game. Outside of the title, he has also worked on the Mario & Luigi series, which is regarded as a successor to Super Mario RPG; however, developer Alphadream went bankrupt in 2019, forcing the designer to focus on music as a member of Earthbound Papas, a band led by fellow video game composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Other upcoming games:

• Screenshots from Rise of the Ronin, Team Ninja's PlayStation 5 exclusive RPG, have leaked online, revealing the game's map, a quest description, and one of its skill trees. Along with the images, the leaker revealed some details, such as the fact that side quests will follow a pattern similar to Ubisoft's quest designs and that the game will be a "mix of Assassin's Creed, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dark Souls.”
• The Sims 5 may be released as a free-to-play game with an in-game marketplace and microtransactions. The model is expected to be similar to that of The Sims 4, where the base game became free in 2022, resulting in a surge in popularity.