Budding RPG developers take note: RPG Maker MV is coming to PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in 2019.
Created by longtime series developer KADOKAWA and published by Degica, RPG Maker MV is the latest in a long line of RPG creation tools including RPG Maker 2000, 2003 and XP. The game's been out on PC since 2015 and can be picked up via Steam right now if you're interested. MV adds a host of new features and improvements to the formula, including side-view battles reminiscent of SNES-era Final Fantasy games, as well as hi-res visuals, the debut of Javascript as its scripting language and the return of layered tilesets (RPG Maker buffs know).
News of the console release date for RPG Maker MV was accompanied by an official announcement trailer, uploaded by NIS America to their official YouTube account. Check out the announcement trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sseiBP2g2lI
The trailer is pretty enigmatic; it's probably closer to a teaser than showing off any solid "gameplay", so to speak. What you do get is a lovely montage of anime art, showing off RPG Maker MV's different aesthetic choices and tile-based map creation (although a little more abstractly in the latter case). A press release given by NIS America describes RPG Maker MV as "the most powerful game development software for creative minds everywhere", with "hundreds of graphical assets and an infinite number of possibilities". Those with no coding experience need not worry, as RPG Maker MV "provides ease of navigating and development", with "straightforward world and character creation".
If you're not really into the creative side of things, never fear. RPG Maker MV will also launch with the RPG Maker MV Player app, which will allow anyone to download and play the creations of RPG Maker MV players. You don't need to buy the actual software package to download the player app, either, so you can check out your friend's masterpiece entirely free of charge. If the idea of creating an RPG with a controller leaves you cold, don't worry. The Switch version will come with full touchscreen support, and the PS4 and Xbox One versions will have full native mouse support.
RPG Maker MV launches for PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in 2019. No word on pricing yet - the PC version is $79.99 as standard, but we don't know whether the console versions will significantly deviate from this.
TechRaptor's very own Jason Ashman reviewed RPG Maker MV back when it came out. Find out what he thought right here.
Looking forward to creating your very own RPG with this latest entry in the series? Do you have loftier plans for making a game with the software? Looking forward to trying out different games made with it? Let us know in the comments below!
