The 26 March 2026 issue of Weekly Famitsu includes an interview with Nihon Falcom CEO and producer Kondo Toshihiro regarding Falcom’s 45th anniversary and the two titles planned for release in 2026.
The interview begins with Kondo talking about the Trails in the Sky remakes. He says that 1st was a project he had wanted to do, and was surprised at how the other staff were more engaged in it than he thought they would be. He also says that he changed how he was involved with the development this time, taking a step back and watching over development giving occasional advice rather than standing at the forefront, and says that it it went better than he expected, and thinks that a game where the staff took a more proactive role being supported by the fans so much might be indicative that the 45th anniversary is a turning point for Falcom.
Moving on to Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, Kondo says that development feels very speedy, and that the staff have been very passionate in working on it, starting work even before they decided whether or not to release the game, and he also reminisces that he himself put in the preview for SC in the first game 20 years ago without the company giving the go-ahead for the game yet.
Though the staff have know-how from 1st, however, 2nd is significantly larger. Recording of the voice lines is still going on, and Kondo himself is soon going to start his checks on the entire game, so there is still much work to do.
The interviewer asks if the current development staff consist of people who joined the company as a result of them playing the games, and Kondo acknowledges that they are on average younger, but also states that a significant number of the original developers are still around and participating in the remakes. He also says that there were many limitations in development back then due to hardware or data limits that they had to use all sorts of tricks to get round, and working on the remakes has had the veterans recall these, resulting in the newer devs getting new ideas, and he thinks that the remake has been a huge boon to Falcom’s development as a whole.
The interviewer also asks if 2nd’s story will remain mostly unchanged, and Kondo says that while they did consider rewriting 1st’s story to be more contemporary with the times, the staff were staunchly against it due to their love for the original, and this was later echoed by player feedback where fans said that they liked how despite looking different the content is the same. As a result, they are proceeding with the same direction for 2nd. That being said, some new additional content will be added like in 1st.
Gameplay-wise, 2nd does not have any large changes, but does feature improvements to playability and graphics. Enemies have also been made to have more variation to their attacks. Of course, additional things that the original version added are also in the remake, such as new arts and fishing.
Kyoto Xanadu, planned for a summer release, is discussed next. Kondo is not directing the game but fully involved in a producer role, and with this new development framework the game is also quite different from recent Falcom games. When asked about the reception so far, Kondo notes that while many welcomed it, he noticed the negative responses as well. He acknowledges the side-scrolling elements as controversial, saying that it was likewise controversial within Falcom, but that even though it was developed with a newly-structured developer team, he is not worried about the quality at all, saying fans can look forward to it.
Of course, the staff of Tokyo Xanadu are also involved, but they are involved more in an advisory and support role. The planning, story, and concept were spearheaded by newer staff, and Kondo thinks this series might even turn into a third pillar of Falcom alongside Trails and Ys.
The interviewer asks if the side-scrolling elements differentiating the game from Ys were a result of new staff members, but Kondo says that while the side-scrolling is indeed something mainly worked on by the newer members, they did not aim to make something different from Ys but “something Falcom-like”.
The leveling system is largely different from Tokyo Xanadu as well, with something like a skill tree added, and parameters raised from exploring the campus and Kyoto. There are also four difficulty levels, allowing players who are bad at action games to enjoy the story.
Regarding why the game is set in Kyoto, Kondo says it was not his idea, but a result of the team wanting the game to be sold worldwide. Kyoto is iconic of Japan, and as someone who lived in Kyoto back in college, Kondo thought it would be perfect. Kondo’s own idea was to have the game take place overseas, but it was not used.
Kyoto Xanadu focuses more on being a student, with the player spending time in a school where every student has the power to fight monsters, going through everyday life as well as dungeon exploration, with the ability to do things like get a part-time job or explore the town after classes. Lessons are presented as card games, with the player obtaining more cards from exploring the town.
The interview moves on to talk about Falcom as a whole, with the interviewer asking Kondo about how the company has changed in recent years. Kondo says that the biggest change has been how they used to have the entire company work on a single project at the same time, but now have multiple times working on multiple projects, for example where Kyoto Xanadu is being handled by the younger members. That is not to say that development is segregated, however: If a team runs into problems, the veterans from other teams might help them out, and they sometimes adapt and move to other teams.
As for Kondo’s own role, he has found that he no longer has the stamina to keep up with younger members, and that he now encounters cases where his word is not needed. As such he no longer stands on the forefront, for example only attending weekly meetings and giving the bare minimum of instructions and ideas to the team for a new IP that Falcom is working on. The only thing he is still fully involved in is Ys right now.
When asked about Ys, Kondo says that they just started on a new game, and are at the point where the ideas have come together and they see the direction it will be going in. Development will begin after spring 2026, and though they are not sharing details on the setting or story yet, Kondo does say that Adol will be the oldest he has ever been.
Regarding music, the interviewer points out how chairman and founder Kato Masayuki, who passed away in December 2024, had been in charge all the way, and asks how it is being handled now. Kondo says that Kato’s wealth of knowledge made him able to handle everything, and Kondo was not involved at all. Everyone else currently says that Kondo should have the final say, and so he is currently handling music direction, but he is still in the process of finding things out. That being said, the creatives on each title are still present, so nothing will change for the time being.
The interviewer also asks about the announcement from last year that Falcom’s goal is going to be to release two games a year, and Kondo says that having only one release a year is risky, and having either Ys or Trails being one of them is also not ideal. At the same time, as a publicly listed company, they did have to rely on these two series to hit targets. The development of Kyoto Xanadu, however, has given him confidence that the two-line development cycle is feasible, and he says that the situation might change, with new things coming.
As for Falcom’s 50th anniversary, Kondo says that it is unlikely that the Trails series’ final game will come out in that year. It is more likely that the final game will be announced that year, and come out on their 51st anniversary. The plot of Kai no Kiseki (Trails Beyond the Horizon) 2 is already completed, as is the ending of the series and the general idea of the occupation of the protagonist of the last game, and they are currently waiting for approval. But at the same time they wanted to take a breather, and that is why they are working on the Sky remakes first.
When asked if he has any personal goals, Kondo says that he feels that the Japanese game industry has lost its momentum in recent years, and he would like to contribute to restoring it. He intends to remain at the helm of Falcom to help make that happen. He also wants to remain as an executive who actually understands development, and help raise people to follow in his footsteps in the next five years.
Finally, Kondo is asked if he has anything to say to fans about the two games discussed. Regarding Sky 2nd, he says that he thinks it will live up to fans’ expectations, and the staff are currently trying to find ways to surpass said expectations. As for Kyoto Xanadu, despite its title, it is filled with completely new elements, and while some fans might be skeptical about the side-scrolling action, he thinks they are positive additions, and he hopes that fans will look forward to it. Finally, since Falcom has expanded with more employees, they can now also do more things. While some things will proceed as usual, it might turn out that some might have to change, but they are structuring to prioritize fans’ enjoyment.
Also see:
Ys series 35th anniversary interview with series producer Kondo
