A New Dawn For Sunsoft: Classic Developer Returns!

In a surprise announcement this week, classic developer Sunsoft announced the sun is rising on its legacy once again, marking their triumphant quasi-return to active gaming development and public consciousness.

A regular tour de force of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, Sunsoft was known for developing or publishing games such as Blaster Master, Batman, Fester’s Quest, Waku Waku 7, Albert Odyssey, and, yes, the masterpiece Porky Pig’s Haunted Holiday. Sunsoft even introduced Aero the Acro-Bat in a time increasingly crowded with furry mascots.  For many in the retro community, the name of Sunsoft is uttered with a longing, wistful moan of euphoria nostalgia.

While it’s true that Sunsoft never really went away, it simultaneously never fully recovered from the threat of bankruptcy in the mid-90s. We probably have Porky Pig to thank in part for that. Eventually, Sunsoft faded from the gaming scene, returning now and then for an odd cameo producing a bit of WiiWare or ports for Virtual Console.

Against all odds, Sunsoft whipped out the Fenix Down and is back in action! In a video released August 18, a vtuber with blue hair named Sunsoft-Nosuke offered the explanation that the company had been inactive due to “grown-up things”. Darn grown-up things… However, Nosuke appeared happy to announce new Sunsoft projects coming in 2022 and 2023.

The video unpacks some history for Ikki Unite, a pioneering kusoge game–that’s a game with bad game design that’s still fun to play. Hey, it’d fit right in with the jank fetish some modern gamers have! Ikki Unite is making its return with new multiplayer capabilities and the term roguelike was dropped during the announcement. You can check out closed beta testing on Steam.

Gimmick! aka Mr. Gimmick also gets a mention. Previously released only in Japan and Scandinavia, the game will finally see a worldwide special edition release. It’s due to hit storefronts on Steam, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One this winter. Gimmick! is also seeing its soundtrack released on vinyl and cassette. What year is this?!

Finally, Ufouria: the Saga, an NES/Famicom Metroidvania that was never officially launched in North America, will hit Steam, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One early next year. This has got to be a must-play for exploratory platformer fans! Its soundtrack, coupled with Journey to Silius, is also getting the vinyl and cassette treatment.

The video ends on a hopeful note with promise of more to come, though without mention of Aero or Batman (of course). It is wonderful to see Sunsoft make a comeback, though it remains to be seen if the developer/publisher can shake off the cobwebs and move out from under the shadow of its own legacy.

Will we see brand new games or just remakes and ports of NES and Famicom titles?

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, director of content, lead writer, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.