"Ōkami 2 Development Confirmed Using RE Engine"

Following the exciting reveal of a sequel to the beloved game Ōkami at The Game Awards, fans have been buzzing with speculation about its development. IGN can now exclusively confirm that the game will indeed be crafted using Capcom's RE Engine, as verified by key project leads.

In an in-depth interview, Machine Head Works producer Kiyohiko Sakata shed light on the collaboration between Capcom, Clovers, and his own studio. "The way that Machine Head Works is involved now, working together with Capcom and Clovers, is that of course we have Capcom as the major IP holder of Ōkami, deciding the major direction of the games. And we have Clovers as the development lead for this project. Machine Head Works acts as a bridge between Clovers and Capcom, leveraging our experience from previous collaborations with Capcom and our work with director Hideki Kamiya," he explained.

Sakata further emphasized Machine Head Works' role in the project: "We also have the experience of working with the game engine that we are using for this project, RE Engine. Clovers' developers haven't had any experience with this engine, but Machine Head Works has. We're aiding them, and we have team members who worked on the original Ōkami, which will be invaluable in the development of this sequel."

When questioned about what makes RE Engine appealing for the Ōkami sequel, Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi was succinct: "Yes." He added, "However, we cannot go into much detail at this point. But we from Capcom believe that without RE Engine, we wouldn't be able to realize Kamiya-san's artistic dreams for this project."

Director Hideki Kamiya chimed in, praising the engine's expressive capabilities: "RE Engine is famous for showcasing the best of the games it powers. It's very good expressively, and we believe people are expecting and awaiting the RE Engine level of quality for this game."

Later, Sakata hinted at the engine's potential to fulfill ambitions that were beyond reach during the development of the original Ōkami: "With today's technology, we are able to achieve all that we were trying to achieve back in the day and perhaps even more, now that we have the RE Engine working with us."

RE Engine, or Reach for the Moon Engine, is Capcom's proprietary engine initially developed for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It has since been used in major titles like the Resident Evil series, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and Dragon's Dogma. While most games powered by RE Engine feature a realistic art style, the prospect of using it for Ōkami's unique aesthetic is thrilling. Capcom is also developing a new successor engine, REX, whose technology is being gradually integrated into the RE Engine, which might introduce some of its elements into the Ōkami sequel.

For more insights from our interview with the leads of the upcoming Ōkami sequel, check out the full Q&A here.