At the most recent State of Play, Sony dropped a trailer for the upcoming title Valkyrie Elysium. While it has been over a decade since the series' last console installment, and three years since its latest mobile release, Square Enix promised fans that Valkyrie Elysium would function as a standalone experience. Unlike previous games in the franchise, however, Valkyrie Elysium will deviate from its turn-based tactical roots in favor of real-time combat.
For fans of the Valkyrie Profile franchise, this announcement was welcome news, but the majority of Square Enix fans were anticipating major news related to either Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy. Still, regardless of whether fans are personally excited about Valkyrie Elysium, the revival of the series may have major implications when it comes to other overlooked Square Enix titles.
Valkyrie Elysium Shows Square Enix's Commitment To Overlooked Franchises
The reveal of Valkyrie Elysium struck many as an odd choice. Not counting the mobile game Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin, the Valkyrie Profile series has not been revisited since Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume in 2009. For a company that tends to bank heavily on its cornerstone franchises, the effort to revisit a relative underappreciated series was an unexpected move. If anything, it proves that Square Enix has a willingness to deviate from its tried-and-true performers and explore options that fans had long since given up on.
The Valkyrie Elysium reveal could be a herald of things to come for other Square Enix franchises. A quick glance through Square Enix's catalog reveals a plethora of worthy contenders in need of a serious revisit: Grandia, Lufia, or perhaps even a return to the fantasy world of Drakengard outside the Nier titles. While Square Enix has remained committed to most of its series through remasters or remakes, it's rare that an older franchise will receive an entirely new title. At the very least, fans of the more forgotten Square Enix titles now have a glimmer of hope given the Valkyrie Profile series has returned in a major way.
Square Enix Could Inspire Other Companies to Look Beyond Sales
While the first Valkyrie Profile game was a success, each subsequent iteration only managed to garner about half the sales of its respective predecessor. That's not to say the Valkyrie Profile franchise has not been critically well-receive, but the franchise's sales were on an undeniable decline. This is not true of Square Enix's biggest franchises like Final Fantasy, in which recent releases like Final Fantasy 15 have managed to compete with the series' gold standard of sales, Final Fantasy 7. It's fair to say, then, that Square Enix's decision to revitalize the Valkyrie Profile series was one not entirely driven by profit.
If other companies are taking notes, fans could potentially see a number of forgotten franchises brought back to life. For instance, it may be time for Electronic Arts to look at the Ultima franchise. While just looking at the Ultima series' last few release sales would more or less write it off as a potential project for many companies, it's probably no riskier than revisiting a franchise like Valkyrie Profile.
Since Valkyrie Profile's success has historically been buoyed by its Japan sales, Valkyrie Elysium is essentially Square Enix betting that North American and Japanese game markets operate similarly. If Valkyrie Elysium is successful, the argument could be extended to include wider localization efforts. It would be impossible to argue against the localization of a hugely requested game like Mother 3, for instance, if a more obscure franchise like Valkyrie Profile were to return and become a major hit.
Valkyrie Elysium is set for release in 2022 on PC, PS4, and PS5.
