Compile Heart announces seven new titles – Madou Monogatari 4, Touhou Spell Carnival, and more [Update 2]
New management structure in place as of October 1.
Compile Heart has announced its transition to a new management structure as of October 1, with Naoto Tominaga serving as president and Hikaru Yasui as director, as well as announced seven new titles currently in development.
Tominaga is a former Compile member, and also worked at Capcom, TAITO, Eidos, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts, where he led game production and development, marketing, new business development, department management, and more, both in Japan and overseas. He has worked at Compile Heart parent company Idea Factory since 2020, where he has handled a wide range of duties.
Hikaru Yasui previously worked on a number of RPGs and simulation games as a producer at Sting, including games like Blaze Union: Story to Reach the Future and Hexyz Force. After leaving sting, he worked in the social games industry before joining Idea Factory in 2020. He recently was the producer and director for both Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters and Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution.
With a new management structure in place, Compile Heart aims to maintain its same stance of chasing the niche market, while also expanding its scope to include not only Japan but overseas markets, as well as multiplatform development. It will also create games in more genres than ever before.
Todokero! Tatakae! Calamity Angels is a delivery-themed RPG for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC. It will launch for consoles in Japan in summer 2024, followed by PC via Steam a little later.
This slapstick-style game will feature voluptuous, cute, and comical characters designed by Kei Nanameda, and story and gameplay that revolves around various personality types like moe and airheads.
Compile Heart also conducted interviews with the Japan Post during development.
Touhou Spell Carnival is a tactical RPG developed in cooperation with Sting for multiple platforms. It will launch in spring 2024 in Japan.
The game features character illustrations from Touhou Project reborn with a Compile Heart-like aura by Katsuyuki Hirano.
The story revolves around a 30-day Spell Card Battle in which many characters participate, with battle and story parts alternating.
The game itself will combine the bullet hell of shoot ’em ups with tactical battles. This includes incorporating familiar elements from shoot ’em up games, such as high-powered bombs. Battles are real-time.
Untitled Shoot ‘Em Up Game
A genuine shoot ’em up game developed in cooperation with M2. It will launch for unannounced platforms in late summer 2024 in Japan.
Character designs for the pilot and company have a Compile Heart-like aura.
This will be a brand-new title with some never before seen challenge elements.
Madou Monogatari 4 is the first new numbered entry in the RPG series Madou Monogatari after several decades, developed by Sting in cooperation with intellectual property holder D4 Enterprise. It will launch for unannounced platforms in summer 2024 in Japan.
Many former Compile staff are involved in the game’s development, including Sting’s president. SEGA is also cooperating, allowing the use of familiar characters such as those from its Puyo Puyo series.
Death end re;Quest Code: Zion is a spin-off entry in the Death end re;Quest series due out for unannounced platforms in summer 2024 in Japan.
The story is connected to Death end re;Quest and Death end re;Quest 2, and will feature new elements that Compile Heart is able to challenge due to the fact that this game is a spin-off.
Untitled Mainline Death end re;Quest
A new, numbered entry in the Death end re;Quest series is currently in planning alongside Death end re;Quest Code: Zion. However, since a numbered entry requires more time, the spin-off will release first.
Untitled Mainline Neptunia
A new, numbered entry in the Neptunia series is currently in development for unannounced platforms.
As Compile Heart’s flagship series, the company is taking its time on development. For about two years, key staff members such as producer Naoko Mizuno and illustrator Tsunako have been shaping the game’s content, and a direction has finally been determined.
Update 10/11/23 at 2:15 a.m.: As confirmed in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, Touhou Spell Carnival, Madou Monogatari 4, and Death end re;Quest Code: Zion will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch.
Update 10/12/23 at 10:20 p.m.: The new shoot ’em up game developed by M2 will also be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch, as per Compile Heart’s newly launched “Compile Heart 2023 to 2024 Title Lineup” website.
