Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Arrives After 20 Years

The long-awaited release of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, scheduled for 2026, marks the return of Capcom's action and adventure franchise after a two-decade hiatus. The last main entry in the series, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, was released in 2006. The producer of the new title, Akihito Kadowaki, explained the long wait, attributing it to Capcom's intense development schedule and the need to gather the right team and tools.

During an interview with GameSpot at the Summer Game Fest Play Days, Kadowaki addressed the issue of the delay in a new Onimusha, especially considering Capcom's more active support for other prominent franchises like Resident Evil. He stated: "There were indeed many people within Capcom who wanted to make a new Onimusha title. However, as you probably know, Capcom produces many titles every year and that requires a lot of manpower. So, unfortunately, the timing didn't work out because getting the right people and also the right amount of people to create the game never materialized, as we had other titles we needed to work on as well."

Kadowaki's justification is supported by Capcom's publication data between Dawn of Dreams and Way of the Sword, with hundreds of titles released during that period, as can be verified on sites like MobyGames. Capcom's ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously is remarkable, but, as indicated, this may have impacted the prioritization of certain franchises.

The change in the landscape that allowed the development of Onimusha: Way of the Sword occurred approximately five years ago, when Capcom was able to gather the right team of developers. A crucial factor in making the project viable was the maturation of the RE Engine, Capcom's proprietary game engine. This engine had already demonstrated its robustness and versatility by powering the latest titles of Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Dragon's Dogma.

Kadowaki detailed that "everything came together in early 2020. We were able to gather the right team to create Way of the Sword." He added, "Around that time, we finished the development of the RE Engine, so it was at a point where we could use it more effectively for the new title." The producer also mentioned that the team did not encounter significant issues when using the RE Engine for the development of Onimusha: Way of the Sword.

The situation of Onimusha illustrates how the continuity of a franchise, even with demand from fans, can be hindered by the lack of development resources and proper tools. The convergence of the right team and the RE Engine technology seems to have been a decisive factor in making this new Onimusha game a reality. Capcom emphasizes that it is not necessary to have played previous titles to enjoy Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.