Before Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Koei Tecmo Was Working on Dynasty Warriors 10

The drive to always chase something new isn’t a pursuit that always yields rewards. The Dynasty Warriors franchise is a clear example, with the open world and bland experience in Dynasty Warriors 9 being a low point for many fans. Fortunately, instead of forcing things, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have returned to their roots with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but that wasn’t always the plan.

Revealed by producer Tomohiko Sho in an interview with 4Gamer, Sho admitted that Origins was not the first product they developed. When Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires was nearing completion in 2021, the development teams had plans to develop Dynasty Warriors 10.

But rather than continue down the path that was derided by many hardcore fans and left a bad taste in fans’ mouths, this next entry was supposed to feature gameplay similar to Dynasty Warriors 7 but with even more characters added into the mix. However, this plan was eventually abandoned, with Koei Tecmo and Omega Force then turning their full attention to a reimagination of the franchise with Origins.

All was not lost, though, as Sho mentioned that some ideas from the cancelled project were carried over to Origins, including the more engaging and in-depth storytelling present in the new game, which remains accessible to gamers unfamiliar with the Three Kingdoms narrative as well as returning veterans, and the concept of the overworld that players can walk around in.

Unfortunately, the producer did not reveal anything else that would have been added for their original sequel. Yet, as many have already seen with the positive reviews for Origins, many of the good ideas from the team have already made it into the latest foray into the ancient lands of China.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins will release on January 17, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and of course, PC.