Mashima, Kodansha, fans had influence on what parts to adapt

The release of the Fairy Tail RPG based on Hiro Mashima 's popular manga series is on the horizon. GUST Studios is hard at work preparing the game for next year under Mashima and Kodansha 's watchful eye. The manga's story has already wrapped but with 63 volumes of content to choose from, how did the creator and staff decide what to include in the video game? Koei Tecmo game producer Keisuke Kikuchi told Comicbook.com's Nick Valdez just how the tough calls were made.

Kikuchi said the staff looked over the whole story and landed on two fan-favorite arcs, the Grand Magic Games and Tartaros arcs. These two arcs best satisfied fans' requests for playable characters.

"...we know there are characters that fans would like to play as in the game, so in essence, the best place to start would be in the middle of the franchise where some of the very popular characters have already made an appearance. That's one side of it," Kikuchi said. The arc also works as a jumping off point for players to help rebuild the guild, a primary focus of the game itself.

"So in this game, one of the core systems is the guild's development and expansion. That works really well as game mechanics for this title," he said.

Mashima and Kodansha played a major part in the decisions too, even down to which fanservice scenes to include.

KOEI Tecmo Games will launch the game for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in Japan in 2020. Koei Tecmo America will launch in the West in 2020.

KOEI Tecmo America describes the game:

Start your journey in the land of Fiore and play through the adventures of Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia as well as other eccentric members of the FAIRY TAIL mage guild on a fun-filled and thrilling quest. GUST Studios is creating the game under the supervision of author Hiro Mashima , promising a faithful recreation for the FAIRY TAIL world and its unusual inhabitants, including everything from magic to its iconic characters.

The most recent and final anime season based on Hiro Mashima 's manga premiered in Japan on October 7. The anime series will end with episode 328. Crunchyroll and Funimation are streaming the anime with English subtitles. Funimation is also streaming an English dub.

Thanks to Scarlet Fairy for the news tip.

Source: ComicBook.com (Nick Valdez)