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DAWNGAZER Action RPG Begins a New Chapter for Takafumi Noma
Former Vanillaware veteran Takafumi Noma has resurfaced with a new development studio, an original fantasy universe and his first game since directing Unicorn Overlord.
Noma left Vanillaware in March 2025 after spending years with the Japanese developer, where he served as director and character designer on Unicorn Overlord and contributed to games including 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Dragon’s Crown Pro and Odin Sphere Leifthrasir.
He now leads IGNISPHERE Studio, a development team operating under Monochrome Corporation, with its debut project taking the form of DAWNGAZER, a new fantasy action RPG coming in 2028. Good Smile Company will handle publishing and promotion.
The move also gives Noma another avenue to establish his own creative identity after leaving a studio already known for its distinctive visual style, something we previously explored when discussing Vanillaware and the possibility of bringing more of its games to PC.
DAWNGAZER Is the First Game in the IGNISPHERE Universe
Details surrounding DAWNGAZER’s combat and broader gameplay systems remain limited, with its first teaser focusing primarily on introducing its fantasy setting, characters and overall visual direction.
What we do know is that this will be an action RPG rather than another strategy RPG like Unicorn Overlord. The teaser introduces a colourful fantasy world populated by different characters and races, with the richly illustrated environments and character designs inevitably carrying some familiarity for anyone who followed Noma’s previous work.
Noma has also made it clear that moving into action does not mean he has abandoned strategy RPGs entirely, with the developer suggesting that the wider IGNISPHERE setting could eventually accommodate different genres and styles of play.
IGNISPHERE Goes Beyond a Single Game
IGNISPHERE is more than the name of Noma’s development studio. Monochrome and Good Smile Company are establishing it as an original fantasy IP encompassing numerous nations and races, with DAWNGAZER serving as the first game set within that universe.
Plans are already underway to take the setting beyond games. Multiple light novel projects are in development with KADOKAWA’s Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint, while Good Smile Company will naturally be involved in merchandise, including figures.
Rather than treating those projects as completely separate adaptations, Noma wants the various formats to act as different ways into the same world, giving audiences opportunities to explore IGNISPHERE through games, novels, characters and merchandise.
DAWNGAZER Launches in 2028
DAWNGAZER is scheduled to launch in 2028 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese language support has also been confirmed, although a more specific release window has yet to be announced.
There is still plenty we have yet to see, particularly how DAWNGAZER actually plays, but Noma’s first post-Vanillaware project is already considerably larger than a single game. IGNISPHERE is being built as a world that can support multiple stories, genres and mediums, and DAWNGAZER will be our first proper introduction to it.
