Sega is bringing its gorgeous Japanese tactical role-playing game, Valkyria Chronicles, to PC six years after its original console release.
Valkyria Chronicles was a PlayStation 3 exclusive back in 2008, with its two sequels on the PlayStation Portable. The game received extensive praise for its beautiful hand-painted art style, created using Sega’s Canvas engine, and it was one of my highlights of the last console generation. Sega, previously a major competitor in the console business, has reinvented itself of late, and this re-release is part of its big push into the PC gaming market.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1589805,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"B"}']Valkyria Chronicles offers a mix of role-playing, strategy, and third-person shooter elements in a 1930s setting. It follows a militia troop drawn into a battle against an invading army in Europa, a fictional version of Europe. It had limited early sales success, but it developed a cult following and went on to spawn several manga strips and an animated series in Japan.
The announcement came yesterday via the official Sega Twitter feed:
Gallia, to arms! Return to the original battle on PC. More info coming soon… pic.twitter.com/Lj4tc3YPfG
— SEGA (@SEGA) October 27, 2014
Jesse Divnich, the vice president of Insights at video game research firm EEDAR, explained Sega’s refocus on PC to Fortune last year, saying it was a smaller, less-crowded market for the company to target.
“With the launch of the next-generation home consoles, we’ll see a lot of focus shift away from core PC gaming from the major publishers, which will leave a lot of room for Sega to make some moves,” said Divnich. “When the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 launched in 2005 and 2006, many thought the PC gaming industry was on its last leg. They were wrong.”
Response to the announcement on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, but we’re going to have to wait for an official release date.
My life is complete now RT @SEGA Gallia, to arms! Return to the original battle on PC. More info coming soon… pic.twitter.com/dV3t7wvABD
— Poros Neustein (Commission OPEN) (@keke_094) October 28, 2014