{"id":2018769,"date":"2026-06-30T10:14:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2018769"},"modified":"2026-06-30T10:14:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T07:14:57","slug":"we-cant-back-out-now-onimusha-way-of-the-sword-developer-laughs-off-concerns-around-2025s-packed-september-release-window","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2018769","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;We can&#8217;t back out now!&#8221; Onimusha: Way of the Sword developer laughs off concerns around 2025&#8217;s packed September release window"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/onimusha-the-way-of-the-sowrd\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Onimusha: Way of the Sword<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">&#8220;We can&#8217;t back out now!&#8221; Onimusha: Way of the Sword developer laughs off concerns around 2025&#8217;s packed September release window<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Oni connect.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/oni-calendar.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Swordsman Mushashi stands in front of a calendar for September\/October 2026.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"oni-calendar.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dom Peppiatt avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/pxl_20220402_110941365.portrait_V04meYj.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1044\" height=\"1130\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Dom Peppiatt avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"pxl_20220402_110941365.portrait_V04meYj.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1044\" height=\"1130\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/dom-peppiatt\">Dom Peppiatt<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Deputy Editorial Director<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"additional_authors\">\n                <span class=\"by\">Additional contributions by<\/span><br \/>\n                  <span class=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/chris-tapsell\">Chris Tapsell<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-30T10:14:57+00:00\">June 30, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"65d37cbb-6830-4f39-80d3-6c464b6b1591\" data-name=\"Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword\" title=\"Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword\"><br \/>\n  Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Onimusha: Way of the Sword is one of many, many games due to launch in the September\/October period in 2026. As developers and publishers flee<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-release-date-black-hole\"> as far away from GTA 6 black hole as they possibly can<\/a>, the resultant squeeze in the earlier (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/a-plague-tale-developer-asobo-gta-6-release-date\">or later<\/a>) months is resulting in a veritable feast of triple-A and indie games on the horizon.<\/p>\n<p>But, whilst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">GTA 6<\/a>&#8216;s unavoidable presence may result in a wealth of choice for eager gamers this autumn, there is pressure on developers: the reason many moved away from Rockstar&#8217;s anticipated sandbox adventure is to ensure their own sales aren&#8217;t impacted, but moving into a release window where you&#8217;re competing with a plethora of other titles creates the very same squeeze &#8211; you&#8217;re just jostling with other games, instead of GTA 6.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn&#8217;t seem to phase the developers behind Onimusha, though. In June, the developers announced<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-summer-game-fest-2025\"> a 25th September release date<\/a> for the title, which puts it smack in the middle of one of the busiest release schedules we&#8217;ve seen in years. &#8220;We&#8217;ve already said we&#8217;re releasing it,&#8221; laughs Capcom producer, Akihito Kadowaki, when our own Chris Tapsell asked about the timing of the launch, &#8220;we can&#8217;t back out now!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oniumusha was actually one of the first games of this year&#8217;s blowout &#8216;E3 period&#8217; to get a release date. It appeared in the Sony State of Play at the beginning of June, and set a trend for games sliding either side of the GTA 6 event horizon (anything falling after Rockstar&#8217;s launch typically fell to February 2027 or later). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.videogameschronicle.com\/news\/onimusha-producer-surprised-by-septembers-packed-release-window-but-says-hes-not-worried\/\">Over on VGC<\/a>, Kadowaki expanded a little bit on how he feels about this unusually busy period.&#8221;We were pretty surprised,&#8221; he told the site. &#8220;We probably expected a lot of titles would be in that window, but we were still surprised to see just how many games were there.&#8221; The producer is not afraid of how this squeeze may impact sales, though, noting Onimusha&#8217;s unique combat, setting, and characters will all hopefully make it stand out from the pack.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A little while back, a preview build alone was enough to convince me &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-is-one-of-those-rare-game-previews-that-made-me-think-ok-yeah-im-going-to-platinum-this-one\">OK, yeah, I&#8217;m going to Platinum this one<\/a>&#8216;: there&#8217;s something particular about action-oriented samurai games that speaks to me. &#8220;Nioh may have won my heart with its bombastic, jackhammer-like approach to its brutal combat,&#8221; I wrote last year, &#8220;but there&#8217;s something in the precision and artistry of Onimusha&#8217;s mechanics that makes me sit here, days later, yearning for more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Onimusha: Way of the Sword is one of many, many games due to launch in the September\/October period in 2026. As developers and publishers flee<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-release-date-black-hole\"> as far away from GTA 6 black hole as they possibly can<\/a>, the resultant squeeze in the earlier (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/a-plague-tale-developer-asobo-gta-6-release-date\">or later<\/a>) months is resulting in a veritable feast of triple-A and indie games on the horizon.<\/p>\n<p>But, whilst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/gta-6-everything-we-know-so-far-9357\">GTA 6<\/a>&#8216;s unavoidable presence may result in a wealth of choice for eager gamers this autumn, there is pressure on developers: the reason many moved away from Rockstar&#8217;s anticipated sandbox adventure is to ensure their own sales aren&#8217;t impacted, but moving into a release window where you&#8217;re competing with a plethora of other titles creates the very same squeeze &#8211; you&#8217;re just jostling with other games, instead of GTA 6.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn&#8217;t seem to phase the developers behind Onimusha, though. In June, the developers announced<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-summer-game-fest-2025\"> a 25th September release date<\/a> for the title, which puts it smack in the middle of one of the busiest release schedules we&#8217;ve seen in years. &#8220;We&#8217;ve already said we&#8217;re releasing it,&#8221; laughs Capcom producer, Akihito Kadowaki, when our own Chris Tapsell asked about the timing of the launch, &#8220;we can&#8217;t back out now!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oniumusha was actually one of the first games of this year&#8217;s blowout &#8216;E3 period&#8217; to get a release date. It appeared in the Sony State of Play at the beginning of June, and set a trend for games sliding either side of the GTA 6 event horizon (anything falling after Rockstar&#8217;s launch typically fell to February 2027 or later). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.videogameschronicle.com\/news\/onimusha-producer-surprised-by-septembers-packed-release-window-but-says-hes-not-worried\/\">Over on VGC<\/a>, Kadowaki expanded a little bit on how he feels about this unusually busy period.&#8221;We were pretty surprised,&#8221; he told the site. &#8220;We probably expected a lot of titles would be in that window, but we were still surprised to see just how many games were there.&#8221; The producer is not afraid of how this squeeze may impact sales, though, noting Onimusha&#8217;s unique combat, setting, and characters will all hopefully make it stand out from the pack.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A little while back, a preview build alone was enough to convince me &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/onimusha-way-of-the-sword-is-one-of-those-rare-game-previews-that-made-me-think-ok-yeah-im-going-to-platinum-this-one\">OK, yeah, I&#8217;m going to Platinum this one<\/a>&#8216;: there&#8217;s something particular about action-oriented samurai games that speaks to me. &#8220;Nioh may have won my heart with its bombastic, jackhammer-like approach to its brutal combat,&#8221; I wrote last year, &#8220;but there&#8217;s something in the precision and artistry of Onimusha&#8217;s mechanics that makes me sit here, days later, yearning for more.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Onimusha: Way of the Sword &#8220;We can&#8217;t back out now!&#8221; Onimusha: Way of the Sword developer laughs off concerns around 2025&#8217;s packed September release window Oni connect. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Dom Peppiatt Deputy Editorial Director Additional contributions by Chris Tapsell Published on June 30, 2026 Follow Onimusha: Way of the Sword [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2018769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2018769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2018769\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2018769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2018769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2018769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}