Granblue Fantasy: Relinkhas gone through a quiet yet seemingly rough development path, however developer Cygames may finally be ready to release the game within the next two years. The game, which is an action-RPG adaptation of Cygames' massive mobile gameGranblue Fantasy, was announced all the way back in 2016. Cygames has announced that it plans to launchGranblue Fantasy: Relinkin 2022 for PlayStation 4, and now PlayStation 5 too.
The game was originally announced as a collaboration between Cygames andNieR: AutomataandBayonettadeveloper Platinum Games. Platinum was the primary developer of the title until February 2019, when the studio announced that it had left the project entirely to Cygames to develop.
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Since then Cygames has remaineddeafeningly silent regarding the development ofGranblue Fantasy: Relink, instead marketing the mobile game’s fighting game spin-off,Granblue Fantasy: Versus, which was developed byDragon Ball FighterZandGuilty Geardeveloper Arc System Works. Today, during Granblue Fantasy Fes 2020, Cygames broke its silence regardingGranblue Fantasy: Relinkand revealed the game’s first major gameplay demonstration, showcasing the game’s 4 player co-operative gameplay.
During the stream revealing the gameplay, director Tetsuya Fukuhara admitted that he believesGranblue Fantasy: Relinkwas announced far too early and claimed that with the hindsight of the past four years, he would rather have waited until summer 2021 to announce the game. He also revealed that Blue, the original protagonist created forRelink, had been scrapped in favor of the original games' Gran and Djeeta, as they had grown more popular with fans thanks to the game’s anime and fighting game adaptations. Despite this, an alternate color forDjeeta has already appeared inGranblue Fantasy: Versusand Blue’s costume will be repurposed for Gran and Djeeta inRelink.
Fukuhara also provided major development updates on the project, dating all the way back towhen Platinum Games left the project. He wanted to reassure fans that simply because there is no news on development does not mean that development has halted, especially as the team has now completed work on the game’s engine after a whole year of refining it. Cygames Osaka will now spend the next two years finishing development of the game’s main content, polishing it, and integrating PlayStation 5 support.
Despite leaving the project almost two years ago, Platinum Games' influence can be seen in the game’s combat, which is reminiscent ofNieR: Automata’s, while incorporatingco-operative elements similar toMonster Hunter: World’s. This is definitely a very ambitious game for a team like Cygames, who is relatively new to big-budget console development, and one that has massive potential to succeed given the popularity of miHoYo’sGenshin Impact.
Granblue Fantasy Relinkwill release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2022.
