Indie 'sequel' isn't a sequel at all, says solo dev behind the original cult JRPG: It's using the name without permission, but they "have no strength to fight" it
Aug. 13, 2024Elona 2~Pixel Art x Isekai x Adventure RPG isn’t quite what you think it is
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A cult classic roguelike JRPG called Elona is getting a ‘sequel,’ and that’s certainly news to the solo developer behind the original.
Originally launched in 2007, Elona is a free sandbox JRPG with roguelike elements that people still play today, gathering online to chat about strategies and the like. While its creator, Noa, is working on anopen-world prequel called Elinthat’s coming to Steam thanks to asuccessful Kickstarter campaign, a full-fat sequel is not in the works.
AsAutomatonreports,anotherpublisher, called Hong Kong Kunpan Culture Entertainment, has announced it’s making a mobile game called ‘Elona 2~Pixel Art x Isekai x Adventure RPG,’ which has apparently been advertised as a sequel to the beloved sandbox JRPG and is now open to pre-register for on app stores.
In response, Noatweetsthat the mobile game isnota proper sequel to Elona and that they even declined a request to use the game’s title. “I’m an independent developer and have no strength to fight this,” they add.
So what’s the deal? Following Noa’s tweet, the developer behind the mobile game hasclarifiedthat Elona 2 is actually the follow-up to Elona Mobile, which was made by another developer called Digital Dog, who allegedly had permission to make that mobile game. It’s Digital Dog that Kunpan says it got a ‘legitimate’ license from.
Automaton says the confusion likely wasn’t helped by anow-deleted Japanese press releasethat billed the mobile game as the “latest successor to Elona” and said it was set in the world of Ylva, just like the original that Noa put together. Regardless of whether it was intentional or a mistake, though, fansslapping community noteson Elona 2 when it appears on Twitter to let fans know what it’s actually a sequel to.
As for Noa themselves, their prequel, Elin will launch in Steam Early Access on November 1.
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Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.
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