Nihon Falcom have announced to investors they will be releasing a new Trails game next year to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
In Falcom’s recently released financial report for Fiscal Year: September 2020 (page 6 of the .pdf file, printed as page 4 in the document), the Japanese developer discusses the company’s future plans, and their 40th anniversary next year (founded in March 1981). One of these includes the release of a new Trails game or start of a series of Trails games.
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary next year, we are pleased to announce that we will be releasing the latest title in our completely new “Trails” series.
Several titles are scheduled to be released for home consoles, including The “Trails” series, which won the “Japan Game Awards Award”, “Japan Game Awards Future Division”, “Famitsu Award”, “PlayStation Award User’s Choice”, and “Japan Game Awards”.
It is one of Falcom’s flagship titles, which has won many awards, including the “Choice Award”, and has sold over 5 million copies in total.
Falcom’s game content is being distributed worldwide to Japan, North America, Europe and Asia through a variety of game consoles and smart phones.
We will continue to develop our IP content into mobile phone apps and other applications and actively use our IP content, while continuing to develop “Trails” and “Ys”.
Translation: DeepL, adjusted
While major titles usually see an announcement over a year prior, there is speculation as to whether the game will have simpler graphics. A gacha game where players obtain characters from past Trails games could also be possible, though such a thing would be better suited for major milestones in the series’ anniversary (which will be their 17th next year).
Part of The Legend of Heroes franchise, the Trails series began with The Legend of Heroes; Trails in the Sky in 2004, and would later see the series expand into the Trails of Cold Steel series. The turn-based RPGs are set on the continent of Zemuria, taking place across several nations over several years- as the risk of war builds between them.
The latest western release in the series is The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, available on PlayStation 4, and 2021 on Windows PC (via Steam), and Nintendo Switch. The latest title in Japan is spin-off The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki (roughly The Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Beginning) for PlayStation 4, and coming soon to PlayStation 5. (Translation: DeepL, adjusted)
Image: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV via Steam
