Classic game publisher Sunsoft says it’s back, will remake its retro games

Sunsoft is a game publisher best known for its 8-bit games. Blaster master, BatmanAnd Fester’s QuestThe company is trying to return to developing and publishing video games. On Thursday, the new Sunsoft — which, technically, never went away — outlined its plan to rerelease and revive its classic game catalog, starting with the Vampire Survivors-inspired Ikki UniteReprints of retro-favorite games Gimmick!And UfouriaAlso known as HeberekeJapan: For modern platforms.

Sunsoft even suggests that Aero the Acrobat, an anthropomorphic bat from the Sega Genesis and Super NES consoles near the height of their mascot platformer, might be brought back by Sunsoft.

The publisher’s first game under the new plan, Ikki UniteThis is the sequel to Ikki, an arcade game (that was later ported to Nintendo’s Famicom) about a medieval Japanese farming village’s uprising against its feudal overlord. Ikki Unite will expand upon the original single-player game with online multiplayer, and is unmistakably inspired — if not outright copying — 2021’s smash hit Vampire Survivors.

Sunsoft general manager Yuichi Ochi told Polygon on Wednesday in an interview that Ikki UniteIs being developed upon Vampire Survivors’Game design and viral success were used to reach an audience for Ikki, which admitted that it does not have worldwide recognition. (Famicom Port of Ikki is infamous for its shoddy quality, and reportedly the basis for the derogatory phrase “kusoge,” or “shitty game,” in Japan.)

It is only slightly less well-known than IkkiThese are Gimmick!This was a Scandinavian-released version. HeberekeWhat features are included? Metroid-like mechanisms and was made available in North America by the NES. Ufouria – The Saga). Sunsoft wants to bring these underdog titles to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 via Steam.

There are many Sunsoft-published games which were huge hits in Japan but did not make it to the West. Ochi plans to bring back those games. Ochi hopes to revive them all. Ikki UniteSunsoft currently develops the game internally. However, Sunsoft has plans to add other titles with help from outside studios. Sunsoft is willing to work with smaller indie studios on games based on its IP, Ochi said: “Our strategy is very open.”

Sunsoft is back, years after it last attempted to publish games. Quite simply, business is good for Sunsoft’s parent Sun Corporation and the electronics company is looking to reinvest in making games, Ochi said. Ochi, who joined Sunsoft in 2021 after working at Capcom, Taiwan, and other Japanese gaming companies, is relatively new to this company.

Sunsoft Nosuke, a VTuber, has a recognizable name, a back list of unexploited brands and is ready to share the good news about video games. Gimmick! to a global audience, Sunsoft is proudly claiming it’s back.