4Gamer Annual Year-end Game Creators' Survey 2021

On December 29, 2020, 4Gamer released its annual end-of-the-year survey with 147 game creators. Toshimichi Mori reflects on 2020 and talks about his hopes to put the BlazBlue series back into motion.

Arc System Works Fellow Mori Toshimichi Representative work: the BlazBlue series

1. Which game released in 2020 was the most moving (or the most shocking) to you?

The Final Fantasy VII remake. There were other wonderful titles like Ghost of Tsushima as well, but I'll bring up the remake. The original FF7 was already famous, so this had a sense of revising memories, realizing this here or that there were different, and so on. But I personally think this work was able to overcome those differences in a good way. In other words, I'd like to see it continued soon... Otherwise, revisions will pile on revisions and the whole thing will become a mess to understand.

2. What entertainment product sold/released in 2020 left the deepest impression on you?

Tenet really shocked me. It's a work from a favorite director of mine, Christopher Nolan, and in many ways, was a topic of public interest. Whether it was that it had an excellent setting and presentation, or that it had no inconsistencies, I can only say it was amazing. With every sitting there was more to discover, and it's a work that would call one to the theater many times.

3. Who did you pay attention to in 2020 (or are still paying attention to)?

Anno Hideaki. To say I'm relieved about Evangelion 1.0+3.0 would be a lie... Evangelion's generation hit hard so I have a lot to say about it.

If it's fine for me to mention another person here, I'd like to bring up the MuvLuv series' Koki Yoshimune. Personally, I'm a huge fan of MuvLuv, so I'm very interested in the MuvLuv Alternative anime and other plans for content.

4. Aspirations for 2021, or a comment for the readers of 4Gamer?

2020 was... in many ways, a turbulent year for me... which is still progressing even now, though much less now. But as the famous words of that hot-blooded manga go, "when in a pinch, one must laugh with a smile," I will continue pressing onwards. I'd like to put the BlazBlue series back into motion somehow.

Credits

 * Translation: Chao