Japanese developer Gotcha Gotcha Games has recently revealed RPG Maker U2U, their latest Unity-based game creation tool. Positioning itself as the next evolution in the RPG Maker series, the software supports HD-2D-style visuals, inspired by titles such as DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake and Octopath Traveler. It also includes a built-in map editor, enabling developers to design their worlds through a user-friendly drag-and-drop workflow.
At this year’s BitSummit, we had the chance to speak with Hiroyuki Ichinose, the producer behind RPG Maker U2U, to delve deeper into the new tool. Given that RPG Maker Unite, the studio’s prior project, was launched as a Unity asset and received mixed feedback due to performance and optimization challenges at launch, it’s natural that some users might approach U2U’s Unity foundation with caution.
We inquired about how the development team has tackled these past issues during the creation of U2U, as well as the reasoning behind selecting Unity as the underlying engine.
“RPG Maker Unite did have certain performance-intensive elements. This time around, we’ve proactively addressed those concerns in development. Regarding issues like asset management and large projects running smoothly, we’re actively working to minimize that burden,” Ichinose explained.
As he elaborated, Unity is inherently a robust engine, which comes with certain unavoidable constraints. However, it also provides distinct advantages that ultimately tipped the scales in its favor. “It grants us the capability to export projects for Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5. Even for 3D effects, Unity is indispensable for achieving them, so after weighing all these benefits, we opted to integrate it,” Ichinose noted.
“Naturally, performance and responsiveness remain the most critical aspects for our user base, and we will continue striving to reduce the load to a point where everyone is content,” Ichinose added.
RPG Maker U2U is currently under development. You can learn more about the new engine on its official website.