Itagaki: Devil's Third will 'surprise' people

Tomonobu Itagaki's third-person game Devil's Third remains in development at Valhalla Game Studios and aims to "surprise" gamers, the Japanese developer said in the latest issue of Famitsu (translated by Polygon).

"It's going along really well," Itagaki said. "We're discussing things with publishers; we're continuing to expand on and deepen the gameplay. That's about the level we're at."

Itagaki did not give details regarding which publishers have shown interest in the game. Devil's Third was originally slated to be published by the now-bankrupt THQ.

Devil's Third will not be on display at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Itagaki confirmed, noting it "wasn't the timing for that" yet. The game is progressing well, he continued to say, noting the project may "surprise" people.

"The game itself is pretty well along in development," he said. "I'm building upon the context I've created up to now to provide gameplay that will really surprise people. I'm not sure there's really a game like this on consoles, and I'd like fans to know that I'm definitely building this up Itagaki-style."

Valhalla Game Studios plans to expand the Devil's Third property into other forms of media, including manga, novels, animation, and film, in an effort to spin the fiction into a "blockbuster franchise."

In addition, Valhalla Game Studios announced today that a "Valhalla Corner" has been opened at the Vigamus Video Game Museum in Rome. It features the work of Itagaki, spanning Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, and Devil's Third.