Jump Festa ’08: Namco Bandai reveals Tales of Vesperia

Among the good things that happened at Jump Festa 2008 in Japan, Namco Bandai‘s announcement of a new Tales title is what got us off our seats. Not much is known about the next-gen Tales, but what has been revealed so far can be found at the full article so hit that jump!

While we’re still hoping Tales of Innocence and Tales of Symphonia: Knights of Ratatosk will see release outside Japan, another Tales title was announced by Namco Bandai at Jump Festa 2008. Tales of Vesperia was showcased at the event, though details on the cel-shaded game weren’t revealed.

So far, we only know that the seasoned manga artist Kousuke Fujishima who’s responsible for character designs of Tales of Phantasia, Symphonia, and Abyss is back to create Vesperia‘s characters. He became popular because his Oh My Goddess! manga series and also created the girls of Sakura Wars that Japan went crazy over, so expect the good stuff.

Behind Tales of Vesperia‘s animated cutscenes would be Production I.G, a prominent Japanese studio of Ghost in the Shell fame. It’s the same company that worked on anime-esque scenes of many Tales games.

Namco Bandai left a wide 2008 release window and didn’t say what platform Tales of Vesperia will be on, but the title appeared in Namco Bandai’s trademark list very early this year, leading us to believe it’s far in development. We’re sure to keep tabs on any updates, so watch this space!