Bandai Namco's Tales of Arise is the latest installment in the long-running JRPG franchise, having been released last year to positive reviews and healthy sales. This is evidenced by Tales of Arise managing to set a new record for the series, selling over 1.5 million copies within its first month, easily making it the fastest-selling game as well. Fans and critics have praised this entry for its stellar combat, unique world design, fantasy and sci-fi aesthetic, as well as its ambitious story, making it one of the best JRPGs of 2021.
With the immense success of this latest entry, there may be some fans who are wondering what is next for the series. Some might think that there is room to expand Tales of Arise further with an anime adaptation. There is a camp that might believe a direct sequel to Tales of Arise could be possible, while others think that another Tales of game could be in the works. In regard to a sequel to Arise at least, there seem to be no plans, according to the game's producer, Yusuke Tomiwaza.
Speaking with Edge magazine, Tomiwaza explains that despite how successful this latest Tales of entry has been so far, the sequel currently isn't "in the cards" at this time. He cites that the team wishes for Tales of Arise's story to be completed with a "good aftertaste" that wouldn't require further expansions like additional DLC or sequels.
He elaborates on this point further, where instead of building upon the story of Tales of Arise, he wishes for his studio to continue to build on the success of the game in a way to help bring in new fans. To this end, he states he wishes to create a new "cutting-edge flagship title" that is bolstered by the achievements of this entry and allows fans to rediscover some of the older games in the Tales of franchise.
The director of Tales of Arise, Hirokazu Kagawa, noted that fellow JRPG title Scarlet Nexus was a component in making the game as successful as it was. Kagawa noted that the similarities between Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus influenced him and his team, where they viewed the latter game as a rival to help push Tales of Arise forward. This is especially evident due to Scarlet Nexus' director, Kenji Anabuki, having been a part of the Tales of series since 2003 with Tales of Symphonia. While some fans might be disappointed that Tales of Arise won't be getting a direct sequel, it seems the developer teams at Bandai Namco are incredibly passionate about delivering feature-rich JRPG experiences.
Tales of Arise is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesRadar
