Akihito Kadowaki believes that the protagonist of Onimusha: Way of the Sword is a key selling point alongside the combat system. The producer is confident that Capcom’s upcoming action game will still stand out in September’s crowded release slate.
Capcom has plunged headlong into what’s popularly known as the September “crash” with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but isn’t worried about its success. The November release of Grand Theft Auto VI has triggered an unprecedented phenomenon, with dozens of developers moving their games to September to avoid Rockstar’s megaton. And while this period is now packed with competing titles, one of the key figures behind the Onimusha series believes the upcoming installment will manage to stand out from the rest of the projects slated for September.
As has been revealed over the past few weeks, whether through individual announcements or summer events, Onimusha: Way of the Sword will share its release window with titles including Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Marvel’s Wolverine, Control Resonant, and Silent Hill: Townfall. Capcom, while expecting a significant backlog of releases in September, has been impressed by how the gaming calendar has evolved. “We were quite surprised,” commented Akihito Kadowaki, producer of Onimusha, addressing this phenomenon in a conversation with VGC. “We probably expected a lot of titles to be released during that period, but we were still surprised to see the sheer number of games.”
However, Kadowaki believes this “bottleneck” won’t affect the commercial performance of Onimusha: Way of the Sword. After all, the producer is convinced the title has features that will appeal to players and boost sales after launch. “We believe our protagonist, Musashi, is a key selling point, along with the satisfaction offered by the combat system itself,” he stated in the interview. “The Issen mechanic, the parries, and all those elements combine to create a truly unique and fresh experience. So we’re not worried.”
The Pressure to Deliver Another Hit for Capcom
Capcom is having a spectacular year. Resident Evil 9: Requiem has established itself as one of the year’s biggest releases, selling over 7 million units worldwide. Pragmata has also performed exceptionally well, shipping over 2 million units, and some developers are already seeing this experience as the start of a new franchise. Therefore, Kadowaki now feels that, in a way, he must ensure that Onimusha: Way of the Sword completes a successful trio for Capcom in 2026.
“To say there’s no pressure would be a lie! I really can’t deny that,” he commented in the interview with VGC. “But we also feel that having that reputation and that sort of wave of positivity at Capcom is an advantage for us.” In fact, Capcom’s strong performance in 2026 is “a huge motivation for the team. It’s definitely easier to work on video games when things are going well than when they’re not!” Therefore, Capcom reaffirms the release date for Onimusha: Way of the Sword as September 25th and assures fans that there are good reasons to look forward to its arrival.
Source: 3DJuegos
