Idea Factory International announced today that Azur Lane: Crosswave, the console version of the hit mobile game, is coming to Western PS4s in 2020. It is developed by Idea Factory-owned Felistella, a small Japanese developer that previously worked on a number of ports for the Hyperdimension Neptunia and Summon Night series. The Japanese version of Azur Lane: Crosswave is set to release on August 29th of this year. The localized version of Crosswave will have Japanese voice acting with English subtitles. There's no information on pricing or a more specific release date at this time, but any fan of anime boats will have something to look forward to in 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAgUCf5colw
The original mobile game mixes historical ships personified into cute girls in sidescrolling action. Developed by a team of Shanghai-based developers and publishers, the Japanese and English versions of the game racked up millions of users worldwide. Now, Compile Heart and Felistella are making use of the Unreal Engine to make the jump from 2D to 3D, packing it with new cel-shaded visuals. Azur Lane: Crosswave hopes to capture the spirit of the handheld original, offering the chance to customize your ships, in addition to managing torpedoes, shooting down bombers, and otherwise surviving waves of enemies.
Unusual for a smartphone game, Azur Lane has aggressively attempted to get in front of Western gamers, and Crosswave looks like another attempt. Earlier this week, the second collaboration with World of Warships brought anime commanders and exclusive ships to the historical naval warfare simulator. At the first anniversary event last year, a brand-new anime was announced, though without a release date currently. Azur Lane's Western forays are in stark contrast to the equally popular Kantai Collection, which has resisted any form of English localization. While it'll be interesting to see if the English popularity continues into 2020, Azur Lane: Crosswave isn't too far off.
