Cygames Revives Project Awakening, Switches to Unreal Engine 5

Cygames has revived Project Awakening, a project originally announced in August 2016, marking a significant return for the studio after a decade-long hiatus. This update matters because the game is now actively moving from concept to production, shifting the timeline from indefinite delay to concrete development. Buyers and long-time fans can finally expect tangible progress on a title that has been in limbo for ten years.

Tokyo and Osaka teams unite for tactical third-person action

The project is a third-person action game developed by Cygames, the studio behind the hit title Granblue Fantasy: Relink. The game engine has switched from the proprietary Cyllista engine to Unreal Engine 5. This technical shift allows the team to pursue a visual style described as hyper-photorealism. The change in engine directly influences the game's core mechanics and pacing.

Combat in Project Awakening will be slower and more tactical than in Granblue Fantasy: Relink. This design choice accommodates the demands of realistic visuals and detailed character models. The development team consists of staff who worked on the original project as well as those who finished Relink. Tokyo and Osaka offices are working together as one unified team to build the game.

Tomino Kimihiro from Cygames stated that production will really accelerate at this stage. The development team includes veterans from the initial announcement alongside fresh talent from the Relink project. It is hard to say when the game will be playable or when it will release. The studio is currently focused on building the foundation for the next phase of development.