News

Arc System Works to Release World End Syndrome, BlazBlue CentralFiction Special Edition Games in N. America

Anime News Network's coverage of Anime NYC 2018 is sponsored by Yen Press.

Arc System Works announced at the Anime NYC event on Saturday that it will release the World End Syndrome game and the BlazBlue CentralFiction Special Edition game in North America.

Arc System Works plans to release World End Syndrome for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, but not PlayStation Vita, digitally in spring 2019. The game will feature Japanese audio and English text.

Arc System Works describes the game:

WES is a romantic adventure game from the collaboration of Arc System Works and TOYBOX.
Characters are designed by Yuki Katō, an artist and designer for the BLAZBLUE series. Other known creators on the project include Tomio Kanazawa for scenario and Takashi Nitta for music.
The story takes place in a coastal town called “Mihate Town.”
The protagonist gets transferred to “Mihate High School” in the town and begins a new life, where he meets the heroines: Maimi Kusunose, a cheerful girl, and Miu Amana, a quiet girl.
How you interact with the girls through unforgettable summer experiences and incidents that happen in the peaceful town will drastically change the ending.

Arc System Works released the game in Japan for PS4, PlayStation Vita, and Switch on August 30 after a delay from April 26. Ibuki Kido performed the game's ending theme song. The game stars Hisako Tōjō as Maimi Kusunose and Shiori Izawa as Miu Amana.

PQube had announced last month that it will release Arc System Works' Blazblue: CentralFiction Special Edition, the Nintendo Switch version of its Blazblue: CentralFiction game, on February 8. Arc System Works clarified with ANN that PQube's release will be in Europe, and Arc System Works will release the game in North America. Arc System Works is releasing the game digitally only in North America on February 7.

The release will feature Japanese audio and Japanese and English text. The Switch version will not feature cross battles with other platforms, and the online lobby feature will not be available.

The game will ship in Japan on February 7. The game will include all the DLC for the game's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions on release, including system voices and character color palettes. The game will also include exclusive color palettes, and will bundle an acrylic keyholder.

Blazblue: CentralFiction originally debuted in Japanese arcades in November 2015, and the game launched in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in October 2016. Aksys Games released the game in North America in November 2016.

Sources: Arc System Works' Anime NYC panel (Rai Kelly), Email correspondence