Sakura Wars' creator wrote a plot for a sixth game and isn't sure the file still exists
Oji Hiroi told Famitsu he drafted a story for Sakura Wars 6 back when a new entry was being discussed. Sega separately says it wants the first five games on modern hardware but can't easily do it.
Sakura Wars turns 30 this year, and its creator has confirmed the thing fans of the series have spent a decade asking about: a sixth game has a story. It just does not have a game attached to it.
A plot, not a project
In an anniversary interview with Weekly Famitsu published on September 30, series creator Oji Hiroi said he worked out a plot for a potential Sakura Wars 6 because a new entry was under discussion at the time. It involves a character called Black Swan, in cryogenic hibernation. Hiroi was careful about what that does and does not mean: he said the plot existing is not an indication that anything is in development, and he is not certain the file is even still on his computer. He did settle one small thing - it would be styled Sakura Wars 6, not VI.
The old games are the harder problem
Producer and director Akira Nishino said Sega wants to bring the first five games to current platforms, but that "there are various circumstances involved, so it's not something we can easily move forward with" - the shape of an answer that usually means rights and licensing. He also said Sega has something lined up beyond the pop-up shops and stage production it has already announced, saying the company is "preparing something else big" without indicating whether that means a game.
Scenario writer Satoru Akahori added that he has been working with the franchise again recently, and declined to say on what.
Why it matters
For a series that has gone years without a new mainline entry, three people connected to it talking at once - a creator with an unused plot, a producer admitting Sega wants the back catalogue playable, a writer hinting at unnamed work - is the most movement Sakura Wars has shown in a long time. It is also a reminder of the anniversary's awkward shape: a 30th birthday for a series most of which you cannot legally buy on anything modern.
Why it matters
Sakura Wars has been dormant for years, and this is the first time in a long while that its creator, its producer and one of its writers have all indicated activity around it - even if none of it is a confirmed game.