In many ways, the game industry is about waiting. Gamers are always waiting to get the “next big game that they’re enjoy,” and game developers are waiting to “get things done with one title so they can move to the next project.” You can also talk about how people eagerly await new consoles to not only see what they can do, but also find out what games will be on them over time. To narrow it down even further, there are some gaming franchises that fans have to wait a while for a sequel. Dragon’s Dogma 2 was one such example from Capcom.
When Capcom made the fantasy RPG, it was a case of the game having serious legs and selling millions of units over a long period of time. Yet, the sequel wasn’t made for a long time. That was due to the team not being able to get together to make the sequel. Then, finally, Dragon’s Dogma 2 was announced and then released in 2024. To be clear, the game sold well, as it has sold nearly 4 million units by the end of March 2025.
However, when you look at how people reviewed it, especially on platforms like Steam, you’ll see that the reaction is quite mixed. Some have even dubbed it an “incomplete game,” which may be fair to state. However, in a chat with VGC, the game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, says he’s totally fine with how the game came out:
“I made the game not like a Nintendo one to be liked by all the people, but for a certain type of audience, so it’s normal if some people outside that target audience don’t like the game. However, people who enjoyed the game really loved it, appreciated the details and work. I’m very proud of it.”
We’re not sure about the Nintendo dig, there, but at least he’s confident in his own work and the goal of that work. Speaking of which, you might have heard that Itsuno isn’t at Capcom anymore. He’s now part of a new Japanese company that’s making AAA-style titles, and he’s very excited for it:
“The gaming industry has decreased the number of AAA releases, and I was asked to create a new AAA [by Lightspeed]. I’m not young anymore, so more than ‘now it’s the right moment,’ it’s more like, ‘this is my last chance’ to challenge myself.”
We wish him well in his future gaming endeavors!
