If you've been keeping up with some old and cool retro-inspired video game goodness over the years, then maybe Dotemu's name strikes some recognition. These guys began doing remakes and remasters on older video games in 2007, and they have been putting out pretty solid hits recently. Think really good sequels and great titles in that nostalgic direction- bangers like Streets of Rage 4 and the awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.
Hold onto your gamepads, because 2025 is going to be huge for Dotemu! They are setting up new titles for consumers with three new releases promising that classic feel we have always loved:
- Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound: The iconic series is getting a side-scrolling brand new adventure.
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion: An arcade-style beat-'em-up for your favorite Marvel heroes? Oh yes, please!
- Absolum: This is a beat-'em-up around a roguelike feature. Interesting sounding!
Cyrille Imbert, the CEO of Dotemu, shares with The Verge on how they get it done. He said they are "open to everything" and that, much though he is the CEO, he usually acts more like an executive producer piecing "together concepts that fill a certain void for вест-loved franchises."
Consider Shredder's Revenge as an example. Imbert indicated it was "quite a while" since a really top-notch side-scrolling TMNT game appeared (the hugely important Turtles in Time, big inspiration, launched way back in 1991). According to Dotemu, there was a hunger in the market for it-they were so spot on! The game had gone on to sell a million copies in its first week alone. That is really quite a resurgence!
Interestingly, Imbert said that when Dotemu works on a project based on an existing franchise, it usually takes on "most of the risk" of the project. That means that before they "gain any approval" from a franchise owner for their concept, however, Dotemu often pays for the whole project and must find the right development studio to produce it.
"From A to Z, we are in control of the project, but we take the risk from A to Z as well," Imbert explained. While we see a bold strategy, recent successes indicate that this will pay off big time for our gamers who get to enjoy those awesome new-yet-classic experiences.
