Alongside the recently released commercial for Genei Ibun Roku #FE was a developer post by Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami about the game’s development.

This follows a GamesBeat interview in June where the producer also talked about the game’s origins.

The concept of Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem has been in production for 5 years.

When producer Yamagami first heard the idea from Nintendo director Kaori Ando, the plan was for the game to be a fantasy strategy RPG.

There have been opinions such as “Where is Megaten? This is not like Fire Emblem,” though the initial concept of the game reflected these thoughts.

While the direction of the game shifted, Yamagami and the team believe that the path they chose was what they thought to be interesting.

The concept of the game changed course with the desires of the development staff: Atlus producer Shinjiro Takada wanted the game to be an RPG with “modern drama” elements. Atlus chief director Mitsuru Hirata wanted the modern drama elements to be representative of the entertainment industry. Nintendo director Kaori Ando wanted the entertainment industry elements to be representative of the music industry, and to contact people who do not usually make game music (i.e. Avex Group).

These shifts in thought are what caused the team to challenge the idea of Genei Ibun Roku #FE as a JRPG set in the music entertainment business.

The characters in the game are out to protect the things that are important to them and carve out their own future.

Yamagami states that while the idea is innovative, a lot of people were surprised when they first saw it (relatedly: Potential Atlus employee hint regarding the surprising nature of the project).

While it was a fun and challenging five years, Yamagami always thinks, “Oh, let’s not make any more of these. It’s the best it can be! Let’s retire,” when he finishes a project.

Translations provided thanks to Mystic from TRADUKO Soft.

Genei Ibun Roku #FE (translated as Illusory Revelations #FE and previously known as Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem) will be released on December 26, 2015 in Japan for the Wii U. It will release in North America in 2016.

— Nintendo