Capcom open to more Okami sequels

Okami's impending DS sequel may not be the last we see of Capcom's cult lupine adventure franchise. According to the game's producer, Japanese sales are healthy and the door is open for future follow-ups.

Speaking in an interview with GamesRadar, Okamiden producer Motohide Eshiro said that Capcom would be delighted to make a sequel if enough fans demanded it.

"The game's been out in Japan for a little while, and we're pleased with the reviews – users seem to be very happy – and sales are healthy," he explained.

"We'll see what happens here in North America on March 15: how many people deem the game worth playing, how they feel about it once they've played it.

"We're certainly willing to explore the option of another Okami game if the market is there for it. If people want it, we'll be pleased to deliver it.

The original Okami came out on PlayStation 2 back in 2007 to stellar reviews but disappointing sales, while a 2008 Wii port also failed to set tills ringing. Okamiden, set nine months after the events of the original, arrives in European stores on 18th March.

If further sequels were to be green-lit, Eshiro wouldn't reveal which platforms they might appear on, explaining that would depend on the gameplay concept.

"It will depend entirely on what ideas we have and what the demands of the market are. We will pick the appropriate platform from there," he said. "If we have an idea that's perhaps better suited to one piece of hardware than another, we'll make our choice based on that."

Elsewhere in the interview, Eshiro also offered a scrap of hope for those hungry for a return to the God Hand franchise – the eccentric 2006 PlayStation 2 brawler from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.

"I personally am quite the fan of God Hand," he admitted. "I thought it had really dynamic gameplay of focusing not on blocking but on constantly dodging and moving. It was really fun and refreshing, and it would be great to see that turned into a series.

"Once again, it boils down to demand – how many people want it, what kind of ideas we have that would be fresh and make it worth exploring again, and we could come up with a plan that could fit the users' needs and the market's needs at the time."

If you want to help move things along, Eshiro recommend you pick up pen and paper and drop Capcom a line.

"Look up Capcom's address online right now and send us some letters, and see what happens. It gets a lot easier to push an idea through management if it looks like we have a lot of support for it!"