Takafumi Noma, who directed “Unicorn Overlord,” has announced a brand-new IP called “IGNISPHERE” together with Good Smile Company. The first title, the action RPG “DAWNGAZER,” is set to launch in 2028 for PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam). Noma reportedly left Vanillaware in March 2025 and has been developing the project at his new studio, Monochrome. On 5ch’s hardware board, opinions split over the lack of an Xbox version, doubts about carrying the PS5 generation all the way to 2028, and the reputation of the previous title, “Unicorn Overlord,” itself.
New IP “IGNISPHERE” Interview: “Unicorn Overlord” Director Takafumi Noma and Good Smile Team Up to Create a New World. First Title “DAWNGAZER” Is an Action RPG Where the Story Changes Based on Which Allies You Choose
2026.09.25 12:00
A completely new IP brand, “IGNISPHERE,” from Takafumi Noma — known for “Unicorn Overlord” and other titles — and Good Smile Company has been announced.
Source: famitsu.com / Original article here
Lost again, huh?
Probably because it'll have backward compatibility with the next-gen console?
When PS5 launched, there were like 2-3 years of vertical multiplatform releases alongside PS4 too.
Is this really okay, Vanillaware?
Things like this tend to get better once you make a second one.
Vanillaware basically only makes one game at a time.
There's no telling how many years it'd be before it was Noma's turn again.
The only way to get his next idea out into the world was to quit.
And people still buy it at almost full price, you know?
It's Kadokawa, so if the 'Kado-Soviet' pattern kicks in (a jab at Kadokawa's heavy-handed business practices), there's a real chance it ends up digital-only across the board.
What they're doing here is basically…
'Fabula Nova Crystallis' all over again… (Square Enix's sprawling, over-ambitious FFXIII mythology brand)
An action RPG for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam), releasing in 2028: 'DAWNGAZER'
Guess it's not Vanillaware, huh
They can't release a game solo anyway, and if Atlus is handling publishing, they'd definitely include Xbox.
A creator who has worked on the development and design of numerous games, including as director, character designer, and scenario writer on 'Unicorn Overlord.' He left Vanillaware in March 2025 and launched 'IGNISPHERE' (the name of both the original brand and the development studio) at Monochrome Inc.
Monochrome itself is actually a company founded by former Vanillaware staff who left before Noma did.
They made Grand Knights History at Vanillaware, left, and then put out its spiritual successor Grand Kingdom at Monochrome.
Grand Kingdom focused heavily on online PvP but had this garbage mechanic where you could lose important items, so it ended up with a worse reputation than History.
After that they couldn't put out any more in-house IP and basically kept the lights on doing subcontract work for FGO the whole time.
Their whole strategy is selling stuff without spending on budget.
Makes total sense now.
In a game where you already have to rack your brain understanding the systems, an elaborate story just gets in the way.
If they make a second entry aimed at series fans, though, a proper, well-crafted story would be fine.
Vanillaware itself is overrated.
I figured it'd keep getting more fun as you learned more skills, but then enemies started gaining skills too and I got bogged down dealing with them — ended up dropping it partway through.
'Banshi Senkou' is overwhelmingly more fun.
I don't think Unicorn Overlord is fun, but a tedious shovelware mess with a janky UI doesn't even work as a bludgeon to hit it with, blind believer.
I mean, there's no bigger SRPG brand than Fire Emblem anyway.
Saying it's worse than 'World Champion' — well, of course it is.
Fair point.
It's gotten rave reviews overseas too.
Funny thing is, the company that talked that trash looks like it's the one dying.
Nice that there's some mutual understanding there.
Then it turns out he was just bluffing, or got played by someone whispering in his ear — that's an industry cliché.
Just like with Fire Emblem, even.
There are actually plenty of games that never come to Xbox in the first place.
Background and Talking Points
Takafumi Noma was a central figure at Vanillaware, working on titles like “Unicorn Overlord,” but the studio generally operates on a system where one director handles one project at a time, with no guarantee of when his next project would get greenlit — commenters in the thread cited this as the likely background for his going independent. His new development base, Monochrome, isn’t a company Noma founded himself; it’s an existing studio set up earlier by other former Vanillaware staff. Commenters pointed out that its flagship title, “Grand Kingdom,” got a worse reception for its online PvP elements than its predecessor “Grand Knights History,” and that afterward the studio mainly survived on subcontract work for other companies’ IP. The reason for skipping an Xbox version hasn’t been officially explained; the thread floated both a “lack of publishing capability” theory and a “some kind of deal” theory, though it’s worth noting both remain pure speculation.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Console Wars)) thread “[PS5] Developer of “Unicorn Overlord” Announces New Title “DAWNGAZER,” Launching 2028! [Xbox Excluded].”
