This updated version of LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW is being remastered by DRAGAMI GAMES for modern platforms. DRAGAMI CEO Yoshimi Yasuda is a former Kadokawa Games CEO, and held this role when Kadokawa first published LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW in 2012. Disappointed by the increasing difficulty of playing LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW, a game only published on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Yasuda purchased the game’s rights from Kadokawa in order to release it on modern hardware.
Yasuda has described the game as a remake, although his statements suggest DRAGAMI aims to change as little as possible with RePOP. Some differences that have been addressed include higher-quality rendering and a new soundtrack, as DRAGAMI does not hold the rights to the 16 songs in LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW. The game was originally expected to release in 2023, however, it has been delayed until summer 2024.
While many of the original LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW staff including Yasuda are said to be working on RePOP, SUDA51 and James Gunn have reiterated that they are not involved. This gives the game something in common with NO MORE HEROES 英雄たちの楽園 and NO MORE HEROES: HEROES’ PARADISE, variations of NO MORE HEROES handled by two different studios, neither of which involving GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE.
References
- https://www.ign.com/articles/lollipop-chainsaw-making-a-return
- https://www.ign.com/articles/lollipop-chainsaw-remake-announced-release-date-2023
- https://twitter.com/yasudaD5/status/1546970153069461510
- https://www.ign.com/articles/lollipop-chainsaw-gets-an-official-title-and-a-release-date-delay
- https://twitter.com/suda_51/status/1544512577786748928
- https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1544357353318797312