The Legend of Dragoon was one of the last projects I worked on as a producer in Japan Studio and by far the biggest team I managed hands-on. We started the project in 1996 with only a handful of people, hired one by one as we were building up teams for Ape Escape, The Legend of Dragoon, and Ico simultaneously. During the peak of the game’s development, we had well over 100 people working internally in the studio on The Legend of Dragoon — for a PSone game! We had roughly 10 artists dedicated just to drawing concept art for this gigantic RPG. As the game contained lots of pre-rendered maps and full-motion videos, we were forced to spread the content over four CDs, which was the maximum number of discs that the fattest PSone game case could hold.

It took nearly three years to build the team and develop the game, which was released in December 1999 in Japan and June 2000 in the US. As I moved from Japan to the US in March 2000, I was able to personally handle the game’s release in both Japan and the US. Following the game’s launch in Japan, we learned from players that certain parts of the game were too difficult. The team re-balanced the gameplay for the release outside of Japan, so the US version was the complete version of the game that we were all proud of.

I still occasionally hear from fans of The Legend of Dragoon, and many want to know if there is a sequel. LOD2 was put into preproduction after I left the Japan Studio, but was eventually cancelled for some unknown reason, and the team members moved on to different projects. Some people still work in the Japan Studio, so we talk about the memories of developing LOD when we see each other at company functions.

It’s great to see the game being prepared for release as a PSone Classic on PSN, which means that fans can revisit the world whenever they want. Maybe it’ll make a new fans, too. Long live LOD!

You may have seen that PlayStation Move Ape Escape launches today in Europe. We’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing all of the monkey-capturing mayhem to the US soon! On June 28th, you will be able to download a demo of the game on the PlayStation Store.

In PlayStation Move Ape Escape, you’ll be tasked with fending off a monkey invasion after a UFO crash-lands into your house. This latest installment takes the fan-favorite franchise to the next level by allowing you to use the PlayStation Move motion controller to wield a variety of gadgets while capturing the mischievous monkey invaders.

If you cannot wait till June 28th to experience the mayhem, get the PlayStation Move Ape Escape Dynamic Theme today! We’ve just released the Dynamic Theme of the title for $2.99. As you can see from the embedded video, those mischief-making monkeys are set to take over your PS3 with this exclusive dynamic theme!

Check out the demo next Tuesday and be sure to download the full game via PlayStation Network, when it launches in the U.S. on July 5th.

I’m excited to announce that the next chapter of the Ape Escape franchise will be heading to PlayStation Move this summer in PlayStation Move Ape Escape. As a new title designed exclusively for PlayStation Move, this is the first time that this fun-filled series will join the PS3 family in North America.

Fun and accessible for gamers of all ages, get ready to dive into 15 new levels and watch your PlayStation Move controller transform into an assortment of gadgets while you scoop, swat, and target monkeys in pursuit of Specter, the leader of the monkey invasion.

You’ll also be able to capture over 500 Monkeys and keep track of them all with your very own “MonkeyPedia”.

And, challenge your friends with wacky mini-games including Tag Rally, Slingsnipe! and Sprayzer Defense Force.

PlayStation Move Ape Escape will be available in the US via PlayStation Network. We’ll be back with more on the game soon, so stay tuned!