Final Fantasy XVdirector Hajime Tabata, who left Square Enix to form his own video game development studio JP Games, is now working on a Paralympics-themed RPG titledThe Pegasus Dream Tour.
The Pegasus Dream Tourwasannouncedby the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as its first official video game, with the aim of boosting the popularity of Paralympic sports by increasing engagement with youth.
The IPC revealed that JP Games will be behind the groundbreaking title, which will be the the first project of Tabata’s new studio.
The Pegasus Dream Tourwill be a sports RPG where players will participate in a virtual Paralympic Games that takes place in a fantasy metropolis named Pegasus City. Players will be able to awaken special abilities, known as Xtra Power, in a “world dynamically rendered in ways that only video games can achieve.”
JP Games is planning to releaseThe Pegasus Dream Touron multiple platforms, including smartphones, in 2020, alongside the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. No specific launch date was given, but it will likely be before summer of that year.
“This is not just an ordinary video game about sports. JP Games is going to represent fully the wonders that are unique to Paralympic sports in this brand-new role-playing game — a genre we excel in,” Tabata said in a statement.
Not much else was revealed aboutThe Pegasus Dream Tour, including its gameplay, but it will enter the relatively untapped genre of sports RPGs. This will be a dramaticchangefor Tabata, who also served as the director ofCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIandFinal Fantasy Type-0for Square Enix. However, given the success ofFinal Fantasy XV, it would appear that the first Paralympics RPG is in good hands, as Tabata shifts gears from the long-runningFinal Fantasyfranchise into a completely new project.
Tabata said that he parted ways with Square Enix amicably, which happened as the developercanceleda planned DLC forFinal Fantasy XV. Out of the four DLCs planned this year, onlyEpisode Ardynpushed through, asEpisode Aranea,Episode Luna, andEpisode Noctiswere sent to the grave.
