Vagrant Story creator Matsuno working on digital game Unsung Story

After leaving Level-5 last year, Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story director Yasumi Matsuno is now working with tabletop publisher Playdek on a new strategy game called Unsung Story, coming to digital platforms. That'll include iOS and Android for certain, Playdek CEO Joel Goodman told Joystiq today, but he was keen to not limit the game to those platforms.

At the Tokyo Game Show, Matsuno explained to us that Unsung Story will be based around nine small countries, each one fighting one another. Matsuno is taking inspiration from the Saxon Britain of the 5th to 8th centuries, an era following the Romans' retreat. As the name suggests, Unsung Story will focus on the more ordinary people of war - the footsoldiers rather than the Eisenhowers, as Goodman put it.

As for the tactics-based battle system, Matsuno said Unsong Story will play somewhat similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, based around a small number of combatants rather than large armies. In contrast to having a story based around a main character as Tactics did, Unsung Story lets players select whichever country and its leader they want to at the start of the game, and how they work through the various countries. That sounds a little complicated to build a narrative around, but Matsuno said that despite the game's name, narrative isn't as big a part of the game.

Speaking to Matsuno and Goodman, it sounded like much of Unsung Story is still in germination; I didn't see the game in action, and the pair still has to talk and agree about how multiplayer should exactly be implemented, for example (for the record, there'll definitely be online PVP). However, there are some concrete plans in place. A two-player digital card game set in the Unsung Story world , co-designed by Cristophe Boelinger, will precede the tactics game when it arrives in 2014.

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Playdek and Legendary Game Designer Yasumi Matsuno Announce Partnership
Playdek joins forces with Matsuno for creative vision and design of new game world for cross-platform games
TOKYO, Japan, Sept. 19, 2013 – Playdek, known for its award-winning hobby and tabletop games for digital platforms, announced today at the Tokyo Games Show a creative partnership with Yasumi Matsuno, one of the world's leading game designers. Matsuno will be responsible for the design and creative development of Unsung Story, an original IP for digital devices. Playdek will release Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians, a tactics game designed entirely by Matsuno.
Famous for designing the classic games Final Fantasy® Tactics, Vagrant Story® and Final Fantasy® XII, Matsuno is known for creating vibrant and immersive worlds and intense, tactical game play. His design of the original story, characters and game world of Unsung Story form the basis of a new collection of original content developed for a variety of digital devices.
"Yasumi Matsuno is one of the most renowned and creative game designers in the world, and Playdek is thrilled to partner with him for our very first original game," said Joel Goodman, CEO, Playdek. "Playdek's mission is to combine the best of hobby and video gaming to create all-new levels of immersion, engagement and originality. With Yasumi Matsuno at the helm, we are sure to deliver on that promise."
Unsung Story introduces players to the medieval fantasy world of Rasfalia where knights, wizards, archers and magical creatures roam a lush landscape that holds the secret stories of more than half a century of bloody war. Players discover and relive the hidden tales of heroic deeds and uncover the sources of legends.
"I'm pleased to be creating this amazing world and rich story exclusively for Playdek," said Yasumi Matsuno. "It's exciting to develop my vision with the leading company of the genre. I look forward to bringing this new world to life and reaching a new audience of avid gamers."
The first property based on Matsuno's visionary world will be co-designed by renowned French board game designer Christophe Boelinger, which will be released in 2014. The game introduces the world of Rasfalia in an exciting digital card game played online. The game pits two players against each other in a fast-paced and engaging struggle. Featuring innovative new game play mechanics, the card game will appeal to a wide variety of players through the immersive, strategic game play Boelinger is known for.
Both games will be supported by Playdek's award-winning features and the company's new community, launching before the end of the year, and will offer online and offline play. To see images, technical requirements and more information about Playdek's game, please visit, playdekgames.com.
About Yasumi Matsuno
Yasumi Matsumo is one of few video game designers to have two games receive a perfect score by Famitsu magazine: Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII were critically acclaimed with 40 out of 40 points.
About Playdek, Inc.:
Playdek is a premier developer, publisher and platform for the world's best tabletop gaming. Winner of Boardgamegeek's Golden Geek award for Best Mobile/Handheld game (2011, 2012) and Pocket Tactics "Publisher of the Year" (2012), Playdek brings the best of hobby gaming to digital. www.playdekgames.com| facebook/playdek | twitter/playdek
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