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Video game director says his game is nearly done, but is it ‘Devil May Cry 5’?

Gabe Gurwin
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Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition - Gameplay Trailer
The longtime director of the Devil May Cry hack-and-slash action game series, Hideaki Itsuno, has been relatively quiet about his work over the last few years, with the last full game he directed being 2012’s underrated RPG Dragon’s Dogma. However, that looks like it is about to change, as Itsuno recently revealed a new project is well into development. Itsuno served as a “supervising director” on Ninja Theory’s DmC: Devil May Cry, but he didn’t lead its development like he did the earlier games. The last title in the series he led development on was Devil May Cry 4, which got a “special edition” for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in 2015. Recent rumors point to it being the long-awaited Devil May Cry sequel that fans have been waiting for since 2008, but just what do we know about the game? Here is everything we know about Hideaki Itsuno’s next game and Devil May Cry 5.

Is it ‘Devil May Cry 5’?

The prevailing rumor regarding Itsuno’s new project is that it is Devil May Cry 5, a numbered entry in the series connected to the original games rather than Ninja Theory’s reboot. Writing on the forum ResetEra, user Son of Sparda shared information he was given by an anonymous user which contained a number of story, development and gameplay details. These could not be verified by the ResetEra team which initially received them and should thus be treated as only rumors — but should they be true, fans are in for an exciting new adventure with Dante.

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Who is making it?

The rumor claimed that Itsuno and his development team would be returning to direct Devil May Cry 5, including cinematics director Yuji Shimomura. This would be a slightly surprising move, as Shimomura went on to work at PlatinumGames on both Bayonetta titles and even directed the film Re: Born. The game will apparently feature the longest cutscene runtime of any Devil May Cry game.

Other familiar faces listed in the rumor include voice actors Reuben Langdon, Johnny Yong Bosch, and Dan Southworth as Dante, Nero, and Vergil, respectively.

Story and gameplay details

The game will apparently take place after Devil May Cry 4 but before Devil May Cry 2, which remains the chronologically latest game in the series. Dante will be playable, and it is possible that Nero will also be playable, as he was in the previous game. A third character will be playable, according to the report, and it will likely be Dante’s brother Vergil. The villain will be the “Prince of Darkness,” likely Mundus, whom we saw in the original Devil May Cry as well as Ninja Theory’s game. Trish, who appeared in Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4, will appear in some capacity, but it doesn’t seem like she will be playable.

As with Capcom’s previous Devil May Cry games as well as the current-gen remastered titles, the report claimed Devil May Cry 5 will hit 60 frames per second and will use a “hard lock-on” system. The level design will be more open than past games in the series and there will be some online integration but it will not be for Souls-style multiplayer. The environment will also be more interactive and destructible, and boss fights will be longer and more impressive than we’ve seen from past games. The signature “style” system will return, but it is being streamlined in order to make the game more accessible to newcomers. Lastly, the camera will zoom out for larger fights, potentially fixing one of the largest frustrations in the previous games.

When can we play it, and on what?

Speaking on Twitter, Itsuno revealed his new project is “under climax,” and that he was sorry for not getting the chance to show it in 2017.

“I am making a great game, so please expect it,” he added in the post. The “climax” phrasing seems to indicate the game is either nearing completion or is in a state where it can be shown to the public.

According to the ResetEra post, Devil May Cry 5 will release sometime between April and March 2019, and has been in development since the release of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition in 2015. This places it in the “climax” window mentioned by Itsuno. It’s believed the game will be a timed PlayStation 4 exclusive, but it will eventually make its way to PC. Both Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition and DmC: Devil May Cry – Definitive Edition were released on Xbox One, as well.

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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