The Nintendo Switch era has seen a significant number of games published by Nintendo, from classic series, to original IP. As we approach the Nintendo Switch 2 era, it will be interesting to see which franchises end up on the new system. According to a new rumor, Nintendo plans on releasing a sequel to Astral Chain, an original IP that launched on Switch in 2019. The rumor started on the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit, in a thread from a user that claims to have spoken to a former employee of PlatinumGames, the studio that developed Astral Chain.
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Pre-production on an Astral Chain sequel apparently began in 2021. However, PlatinumGames seems to have been facing a number of internal struggles, forcing Nintendo to get more involved, and the project to be rebooted in 2023 with a planned release on Nintendo Switch 2. Things apparently got so bad that Nintendo threatened to pull the sequel and hand it to another developer. The post does not offer any indication which studio Nintendo might have had in mind, but posters on the subreddit have offered some educated guesses. Koei Tecmo was offered up as one possibility, given the studio’s background and close work with Nintendo over the last 10 years.
The post on the game’s subreddit paints a bleak picture of the situation at PlatinumGames. It’s impossible to say how accurate the post might be, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising given the disastrous rollout and subsequent delisting of Babylon’s Fall. Still, some users on the subreddit have expressed skepticism about specific details in the post. One example is the fact that money problems at PlatinumGames got so bad that the HR department was forced to work without lighting “for months.” It’s possible the poster’s source was overstating things a bit, but there’s no way to be certain.
While elements of this story seem like a stretch, others do make sense. Astral Chain sold more than 1 million units in its first year, and reviews for the game were largely positive. It would not be surprising if Nintendo set PlatinumGames to work on a sequel right away, and this would explain why we haven’t seen a follow-up after more than 5 years. The idea of Nintendo pulling a project away from an external developer is also plausible; the company did just that with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond this generation, starting all development over from scratch and handing the project to developer Retro Studios.
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With a Nintendo Direct focused on Nintendo Switch 2 set to take place in April, we should learn a lot more about what games are in development for the new system. The last Platinum developed game was 2023’s Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, so clearly the studio has been working on something over the last two years, even if we don’t know for sure what that is. If PlatinumGames truly is working on an Astral Chain sequel, hopefully it will be able to live up to the first game.
Do you want a sequel to Astral Chain? Do you think this rumor sounds plausible? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
