The Fatal Frame series, known in other regions around the world as Project Zero, has had a rocky release in Western countries, to say the least, with only a handful of its entries and remakes seeing release outside of Japan. While he's hard at work on the live-action film adaptation, series producer Keisuke Kikuchi says that he remains hopeful for the future of Fatal Frame, though the decision to continue development on additional entries is ultimately out of his hands.
The most recent Fatal Frame title, Maiden of Black Water, released on Nintendo's Wii U back in 2015 and received average review scores across the board. Since then, Yuri Kozukata, the protagonist of Maiden of Black Water, has made an appearance as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch, further fueling fan hopes for a new entry on the Nintendo Switch at some point.
Now, in a recent interview with Nintendo Everything, Keisuke Kikuchi has opened up about his hopes for the series, saying, "even though I have these hopes, this is a series that Nintendo publishes for us and I only handle the development. So even if I were to say I want to make another game, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what will happen." When asked about the possibility for re-releases of older titles, like Fatal Frame: Crimson Butterfly or Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, to make their way to Nintendo's latest console, Kikuchi said, "As for Fatal Frame 2 and 4, Nintendo handles the publishing rights, so we don’t exactly have a say in that matter." In addition to working on the Hollywood film, Kikuchi said he'd like to bring Western fans not only the movie but also the games that can accompany it, offering the tiniest glimmer of hope for future developments.
Kikuchi added that one reason he isn't available to oversee further entries in the Fatal Frame series is because of his responsibilities with Koei Tecmo's Gust Co. Ltd. division, the team behind popular franchises like the Ar Tonelico, Nights of Azure, and Atelier series. Given that he's overseeing much of Gust's development, Kikuchi says that procuring teams for development of Fatal Frame would be difficult, but that he's "never really given up the idea." More recently, the team at Gust has been hard at work developing a game based on the smash-hit anime series Fairy Tail, which is set to release in June 2020.
It's disappointing that Kikuchi is unable to confirm any plans for the beloved Fatal Frame series, especially considering the lack of similar titles on the market. Survival-horror enthusiasts can still Alien: Isolation, or plenty of other terrifying titles on their Nintendo Switch, but it seems that the distinct flair of the Fatal Frame series will continue to be sorely missed for the foreseeable future.
Source: Nintendo Everything
