The Long Awaited Unveiling of Armored Core 6: The Inside Story Revealed!

Highlights

The journey of creating Armored Core 6 has spanned several years, with FromSoft's smaller studio size and meticulous timing serving as pivotal factors in its development.

With FromSoftware becoming increasingly popular, it is expected that both long-time fans and newcomers will eagerly immerse themselves in the upcoming release of Armored Core 6. According to the producer Yasunori Ogura, the release of a new Armored Core game was always a certainty, it was just a matter of time. After a decade-long wait, fans will finally have their hands on the new title next month in August. It goes without saying that a lot has happened and evolved during this ten-year period.

The last release of the Armored Core franchise, Verdict Day, was in September 2013. However, it did not have the lasting impact that FromSoft had hoped for, with both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions receiving mediocre scores on Metacritic. Since then, FromSoftware has gained widespread recognition and success with the release of popular titles such as Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. It is evident that the popularity of Soulslike games is at an all-time high. With this in mind, Game Rant learns from an interview with director Masaru Yamamura and producer Yasunori Ogura that now would be an opportune time for FromSoftware to revisit the Armored Core franchise.

Armored Core 6 began its development roughly in 2018 and has been in progress for a span of five years, if one were to factor in the earliest stages. Initially, Hidetaka Miyazaki was involved, but he eventually handed over the reins to Yamamura after about a year of pre-production. According to Ogura, the substantial portion of game development has been ongoing for approximately three to four years. It is common knowledge that game development for any studio is a time-consuming process, and this certainly explains the considerable gap between Verdict Day and the upcoming release of Armored Core 6. However, there are additional factors that contribute to this extended timeline.

Studio size is another factor, one that played heavily in Armored Core 6's development. "We are not an enormous studio by any means," said Ogura.

Reallocating resources and assigning staff to different projects are key in the process of creating a new Armored Core game. The availability of these resources, combined with perfect timing, were crucial factors in the development of this game. Achieving the right timing for a new Armored Core game for FromSoftware was a challenge, and it is difficult to pinpoint all the elements that contributed to it. FromSoftware's reputation has greatly improved, making it highly likely that both longtime Armored Core fans and new followers of FromSoftware will eagerly embrace this title solely based on its reputation. This reputation serves as a strong attraction for any company or intellectual property.

In addition, FromSoftware is capitalizing on numerous advancements in gaming. As illustrated by Yamamura in the interview, a notable example is the remarkable level of detail incorporated into each mech featured in Armored Core 6. Collectively, these enhancements aim to provide fans with an electrifying FromSoftware experience when the game launches on August 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.