Guilty Gear director calls 2020 sequel ‘a complete reconstruction of the franchise’

On Sunday, Arc System Works gave Guilty Gear fans a peek at the future of the franchise with a sharp-looking trailer that hinted at some new directions. Then, on Thursday, Guilty Gear series general director Daisuke Ishiwatari offered some insight into the developer’s approach to the 2020 sequel, strongly indicating that his team’s next fighting game will usher in a major overhaul for the 21-year-old franchise.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Ishiwatari said the goal for the new Guilty Gear is “to create a game that both new and existing players alike would want to get their hands on.” In other words, the new Guilty Gear might be friendlier to newcomers who might be unfamiliar with some of its established systems, but hopefully not at the expense of its depth or complexity.

Ishiwatari called 2020’s Guilty Gear “a complete reconstruction of the franchise” and “a tremendous challenge for Guilty Gear” in his statement. You can read the most relevant points from Ishiwatari’s statement below:

The core concept this time is unlike those of past titles — it is neither “evolution” nor “returning to the roots”; nor is it an addition or subtraction of elements to the existing title. What we’re pursuing is a brand new experience for Guilty Gear.

To achieve that goal, we’ve disassembled the current franchise into fragments and sifted out the piece that make it unique and charismatic, using those pieces to have a complete reconstruction of the franchise.

What we’re undertaking is a full-frontal confrontation with the essence of the Fighting Game genre, a tremendous challenge for Guilty Gear. It is a high-risk move on our part. However, we have an accumulation of the the plentiful resources and experience, a clear vision of our ideals, and the excitement towards a future of a new possibility. Although we do not know what this path awaits us ahead, we as the development team look forward to the future of this never-ending pursuit. In the process of this journey, we hope that we will be able to share the excitement and joy we’ve encountered with all of you.

The public will get a look at the new Guilty Gear at the latest by November. The as yet untitled game will be playable at the ARCRevo America 2019 tournament in Los Angeles on Nov. 16. The new Guilty Gear does not yet have a release date or announced platforms.