CAVE devs now at M2?

[EmperorIng]

more Ikeda wanking

This is my biggest worry. All the skill involved, wasted on more derivative Cave or pseudo-Cave work. Just think if they took all that talent and made something akin to an Einhander or Thunder Force IV.

[kid aphex]

Iuchi and ex-Cave? Way to keep me interested, Universe.

[jepjepjep]

This sounds like good news!

[Squire Grooktook]

more Ikeda wanking

This is my biggest worry. All the skill involved, wasted on more derivative Cave or pseudo-Cave work. Just think if they took all that talent and made something akin to an Einhander or Thunder Force IV.

Einhander? Fair enough. Thunder Force IV? Okay for the presentation, and it's a solid game, but whether its bullet hell shooters or more classic style games, TFIV has been thoroughly outclassed over the years in terms of gameplay.

Anyway, I feel like the "danmaku" sub-genre is relatively complete at this point. I don't think it's stagnant, or even that one particular style like Cave's is stagnant, but I would like to see designers branch out more the way Qute has and to try reinvent some concepts that have remained relatively neglected for the past few years.

Walls need to make a comeback.

[mastermx]

I really wonder what the next go to console for shmups is going to be. I'm holding out till something worthy is released. Either way, if M2 have so many cave employees, they are bound to want create more great content. Interesting that they want to be more like treasure, I wonder what they mean by that.

[Pretas]

I really wonder what the next go to console for shmups is going to be.

Right now it's still looking like the Xbox One, which Qute, Moss and Triangle Service have already committed to. Cave's skeleton crew may also see fit to port some of the company's back catalog to the One, or at least license it out like with Ketsui Extra. It remains to be seen whether M2's original output on PS4 will be more along the lines of fully fledged productions like RSG/Ikaruga, or minimal psuedo-doujin fare like Kokuga.

I agree that the Ikeda style of danmaku STG was taken about as far and in as many directions as it could meaningfully go. Greater variety in the future output of Cave's former devs would be appreciated.

Yagawa has probably been getting drunk and playing pachinko. Either that, or doing uncredited freelance coding work on various projects.

[gray117]

Either way, if M2 have so many cave employees, they are bound to want create more great content. Interesting that they want to be more like treasure, I wonder what they mean by that.

... Likely do what they want. This may well be shmups, it may not be. Given that the suggestion is of a change in direction I'd suspect they'll be trying something else and certainly targeted at the home market rather than arcade....

Then again bungie were supposedly going to be doing something different too...

I suppose question is whether or not what you know can be made to still pay the bills?
With no obvious announcements one has to imagine there's nothing to really tell, so wouldn't hold my breath.

At the same time seems a firm nail in the cave coffin? ... But encouraging to see talent gainfully redeployed - best of luck to them.

[Ed Oscuro]

Finally, the light at the end of the cave

tbh I don't particularly care if it is shmups or not, but I think it would be great if they could give some different perspectives on gaming with their arcade experience. Dark Souls (and similar) output has gotten a great reception, so I'm really not understand the "omg this will be terrible" angle people are fretting over. New and different isn't bad.

[monouchi]

I think this is terrible.
I wanted Cave to be around and give us Mushi 3, Ketsui 2 etc etc

[jepjepjep]

The fact that these guys have assembled at M2 should give us all hope. M2 has shown that it understands and respects retro games more than any company out there. These are the same guys that gave us the fantastic Futari port, Fantasy Zone IIDX (it's still incredible to think that they went out and reprogrammed a System16 board and it actually ran on the hardware), the Konami rebirth series, and the best emulation by far. We probably wouldn't have the gluttony of CAVE 360 ports either if it weren't for M2 doing such a good job with Futari. I'm excited to see what these guys can do in a new environment.

[bcass]

M2 created the DirectX development tools that Cave used for all the 360 ports, so yeah, if it wasn't for M2, we might not have seen any 360 ports at all.

[MR_Soren]

This is interesting.

Looking at their history, M2 clearly has the low-level programming skills needed to do ports, emulators, and code libraries. With the addition of strong creative talent, they should be able to make good games.

I look forward to seeing what they produce.


I am also sad to learn that CAVE, at least the CAVE I knew, is officially dead. I suspected it for a while, but I was in denial.

[nosorrow]

I've just gotten into "modern" shmups, but Cave is so popular that, over the years, I couldn't help but notice their notoriety and how much love they received from fans. Thus, I was SHOCKED when I learned they were bankrupt or something. (Have they officially closed down? An interview with Ikeda was published in Retro Gamer a few years back and everything seemed fine, at least to my then uneducated opinion.)

[jasoncslaughter]

Just think if they took all that talent and made something akin to an Einhander

I really hope not. One Einhander was more than enough.

[Strikers1945guy]

Just think if they took all that talent and made something akin to an Einhander

I really hope not. One Einhander was more than enough.

Agreed. I will say I'm optimistic about the situation though.

[eatfrog]

Have they officially closed down?

Oh no, they are still quite active. But they do mobile games now instead. Last time I checked they were hiring developers with knowledge of Unity.