Twitter seems to have become 07thExpansion’s go-to outlet for releasing information on their upcoming title Ciconia When They Cry, and last weekend saw another long string of tweets from circle leader Ryukishi07 about the upcoming game – including some revelations about the episodic nature of the title, as well as the changing circumstances of the team that have affected production.
Ryukishi began the thread by clarifying the release schedule of Ciconia When They Cry upon it’s delayed launch this September.
“Ryukishi here. This is going to be a little long, but I’d be happy if you could read it all.
A lot of you have been asking whether or not our latest Ciconia When They Cry will be an episodic or single work.
Ciconia will be an episodic work. The title we’re releasing will be the first episode.
We’re planning to release 4 episodes in all.”
The revelation that Ciconia When They Cry will be episodic isn’t surprising, given that all of the previous entries in the When They Cry series have been so, but it still provides an answer to a vital question that has hung over the game ever since it’s initial announcement.
Having revealed that Ciconia When They Cry will indeed be episodic in nature, Ryukishi then went on to highlight some of the problems that he and his team have faced in producing the highly anticipated upcoming title.
“Now, with regard to our latest title, compared to Higurashi and the like, the price will be a little higher…
I’m really sorry about this…
During the development of Higurashi, I could get by on about 4 hours of sleep each night, and I was able to use all of my time and physical capabilities however I wanted.”
“However, now that I’m past 40, I’m no longer able to draw on the youth that I felt at that time.
Because of this, I’ve had to focus just on what I love to do – writing – while getting other, more experienced staff members to help me [on other things].”
“Those staff members also have problems with age and physical ability, having to strike a balance with their day job, or even just trying to find time to spend with their family. So, circumstances have changed a lot since the development of Higurashi, when we were a team of young bachelors who could charge forward based on courage alone and put out a title with pure force alone.”
“It’s these various circumstances and costs that have determined the [higher] price of Ciconia.
I’m really sorry about this, especially given that we sold Higurashi for around 10,000 yen.
Even so, on the other hand, I think that Ciconia has become something only the me I am now could write.”
“I’m confident that I’ll be able to deliver an amazing level of artistry and performance, along with a massive volume of text surpassing over 400,000 characters to everyone.
I’d be really happy if you could get excited. I’d also be happy if you could give me just a little more time!
Along with Umineko Saku, I’d appreciate it if you could preorder our latest title.
(Ryukishi07)”
It’s clear from this long string of tweets following the announcement that Ciconia When They Cry will be episodic that many problems have cropped up during the development of this latest title, including those stemming from the circumstances of the now much older 07thExpansion team.
These problems are perhaps why Ciconia was delayed in the first place, along with Ryukishi’s own anxieties about how the game might be received. And while the game’s opening movie, unveiled two weeks ago, might not have been enough to ease those anxieties, it is interesting to hear Ryukishi claim that this story is one that only his older, “past 40” self could write.
In any case, it looks like this fifth entry in the When They Cry series is shaping up to be very different from the rest – even if it’ll be episodic, slotting Ciconia When They Cry quite nicely next to the release format of both Umineko When They Cry and Higurashi When They Cry.