Arc System Works and WayForward will be collaborating together on a new project. Called River City Girls, the new project will present a new spin on the classic River City franchise by giving it a female protagonist.
The Australian Classification Board had originally hinted at the existence of the game when they listed a rating for it. Both companies later confirmed that River City Girls was happening via press release.
Technos Japan originally released River City Ransom on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1989. The game combined traditional beat ’em up gameplay with non-linear action RPG elements. Technos mixing these elements helped make River City Ransom a classic on the NES, and led to a number of sequels being developed over the years. Arc System Works later purchased the rights to Technos Japan’s IPs from Million Co., Ltd. in 2015. The latter had acquired the rights to these IPs after Technos Japan’s closure in 1996.
In the press release, WayForward founder Voldi Way calls the collaboration a “really wonderful opportunity.” He also speaks toward his eagerness to work with the Japanese company: “Arc System Works is an extremely talented gaming company that we’ve admired for many years, and we are incredibly happy to be working with them,” says Way, “This new take on the River City universe is going to be a lot of fun.”
Interestingly enough, the concept of a River City game with a female protagonist seems to have come from WayForward. Takomi Kaneko, producer for Arc System Works, said that the company “is pleasantly surprised by the way the River City series is turning out. I think the River City series has a reputation as a 2D fighting-action game with a lot of male fans, but then River City Girls appears! WayForward’s enthusiasm for a female protagonist won me over.”
Arc System Works and WayForward will reveal further details on River City Girls later this year.
