Daisuke Ishiwatari is best known as the creator of Guilty Gear, a fighting game series with close to 30 years of history and seven main releases, plus plenty of updated versions and spin-offs. But he was most recently the project lead for a game called Damon and Baby, a top-down action RPG. Ishiwatari has explained some of the difficulties of shifting genres in a recent interview with Japanese publication 4Gamer.

Anyone familiar with Arc System Works (commonly known as ArcSys) will know that the Japanese dev studio is best known for its wide catalogue of 2D fighting games. Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, and Dragon Ball FighterZ immediately come to mind, along with Persona 4 Arena and the Granblue Fantasy Versus series – not to mention upcoming Marvel Tōkon. So, it’s obvious to say that Damon and Baby, released on March 26, is a step in a different direction, albeit with a familiar ArcSys art style.

Established game studios can struggle to develop for different genres

“In current game development, localized staff involvement has become a common thing […] It’s very dangerous to spend decades doing highly specialized work, only to realize later that you’re no longer capable of doing anything else. You’ll find yourself at a loss when the project you’re working on hits a rough patch, and even if you quit your job, your chances of finding another one will be slim.”

Daisuke Ishiwatari, speaking to 4Gamer, translated by Automaton West

Ishiwatari goes on to say that “People join game companies wanting to create their own signature work someday, but in today’s market, those opportunities are extremely rare”. He also references an industry joke about developers spending the entirety of a project “just placing grass on maps,” which may be teetering closer to reality these days, given the climate.

The lead dev suggests that games require “accumulated know-how and a proper development environment” to succeed, and revealed a specific approach to creating Damon and Baby with a smaller team and less budget. One such example is only preparing “a single rough sketch” for artists to develop themselves, leaving them “entrusted with entire characters” – including modeling and motion work, giving devs more time to be creative while gaining more experience in different fields. This led to quicker ideas and revisions.

ArcSys is still relying on its well-known characters to a certain extent

In a developer AMA a couple of weeks ago, it was revealed that the initial concept for Damon and Baby spawned from designing a picture book, rather than a game. And in fact, the game has connections to the Guilty Gear universe. “There is a connection […] The Damon and Baby world is a scenario that comes after Guilty Gear Strive,” says Ishiwatari [translated].

“At the end of Guilty Gear, I-no actually vanishes and comes into the parallel world, but she shows up in the Damon and Baby world”. Several other characters make an appearance, too, including a rendition of Ragna the Bloodedge from BlazBlue. The connections are dubbed as belonging to the “Arc Universe,” so even despite changing genres for a brand-new game, ArcSys is still latching on to some of its most iconic characters.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.