Senran Kagura series creator and producer Kenichiro Takaki has left Marvelous, the publisher of the series, after being a part of the company for 13 years. Takaki announced the news on social media and an interview with Famitsu magazine.
Takaki has now moved to Granblue Fantasy developer Cygames. Even though he is leaving Marvelous, he will still be credited as a producer on future Senran Kagura titles and he is still helping with the development of Senran Kagura 7EVEN. The basics of the game are not going to be touched, but the erotic gags that the series is known for are being taken more seriously by companies like Sony, which means that changes need to be made.
Takaki is also working on a Marvelous title that will be released as a game and get an anime adaptation. Not many details have been given about the project, but it has been in development for a year and half, will feature fully-clothed characters, and will involve a girl on a motorcycle. With his next project, he is supposedly aiming to make a traditional fantasy game like the ones he played as a kid. He told Famitsu he wants it to be amazing, despite his “oppai” nature.
Takaki said that “a thread snapped within him” when speaking to Famitsu. He will be leaving because he felt he was restricted on what sexual content he could show with his games from Marvelous.
Senran Kagura has been critiqued for its sexual depiction of women, but the former producer of the series seemed to have no shame. In the past, Marvelous released a trailer with him testing pudding and gripping water balloons in a lab to simulate boob physics when it announced Senran Kagura Reflexions for the Nintendo Switch.
However, Takaki is aware that this series isn’t being received as well as it could be in the west, due to the sexual nature of the games. He said to PSLS during an E3 2017 interview, “Now that the franchise has grown, and is getting more popular, it might be worth considering having features that differ depending on where it’s being sold[;] that way it might be able to sell better in certain regions where it would be problematic to have that kind of content.” Takaki also clarified that he didn’t want the women to be seen as victims and instead have them “be in on the joke and having fun.”
Senran Kagura has quite a long history on PlayStation systems, with entries on the PS3, Vita, and PS4. The latest PlayStation 4 release is Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal, a remake of a 3DS game.
[Source: The Outerhaven, Gematsu]
