A project many had written off has suddenly shown signs of life. Cygames has officially confirmed that development on Project Awakening is not merely continuing—it is entering an active phase. After nearly a decade of silence, sporadic teasers, and rumors, the game is finally taking shape, and in a completely new form.
The project’s story began back in 2016, when Cygames announced it at its own event, NEXT 2016. In 2018, the game appeared briefly at the PlayStation LineUp Tour with a focus on the PS4, and a technical demo was shown in 2021. Then, silence fell. Many assumed the project had been quietly shelved, but new leads emerged in July 2026.
The source of this news is an interview with Kimihiro Tomino—manager of Cygames’ Consumer Designer Team—published by the Japanese outlet CGWorld. He revealed details that completely change the perception of the game. Meanwhile, Cygames President Koichi Watanabe confirmed in an interview with Weekly Famitsu: “Development is, of course, progressing steadily. At this point, I can say the game is truly starting to shape. The entire team works every day with the feeling that everything is coming together.”
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What do we know about Project Awakening after ten years of silence?
The biggest news is that development is nearing the finish line. Tomino stated that the project has entered a stage of “real acceleration,” with a workforce comprising both the veterans who launched the project and fresh talent who became available after the completion of Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Teams from Tokyo and Osaka are now collaborating as a single, unified unit.
The most significant technical move is the decision to abandon the proprietary Cyllista engine in favor of Unreal Engine 5. The reason is simultaneously simple and ambitious: the studio aims to achieve “hyper-photorealism.” To achieve this, the characters had to be rescanned—all the 3D equipment was upgraded back in 2019, and the models now look different. According to Kimihiro, this new visual standard isn’t just about “better graphics”; it is a deliberate focus on creating an aesthetic impact capable of competing with the genre’s leaders. And yes, Cygames openly declares that their goal is Game of the Year.
Combat System: Slower, Heavier, More Tactical
If you were expecting another Relink, get ready for a shift in direction. Project Awakening’s gameplay isn’t built around speed and pyrotechnics, but rather a tactical, deliberate pace.
The developers are intentionally slowing things down. “Since the game features a photorealistic world, the pace of action is slower than in Relink,” explains Kimihiro. “We slowed it down to a level where the player can enjoy making decisions—choosing to dodge or block upon seeing an enemy attack. At the same time, we maintained responsive controls while creating weighty movements that convey a sense of momentum.” The focus is on dodging, blocking, and precise timing. Animations are terrain-dependent: the same strike can look different depending on the landscape, and defeated enemies don’t simply go limp according to a script—they cling to life and continue attacking from the ground.
A comparison to Granblue Fantasy: Relink is inevitable, but Project Awakening stands out for its depth rather than its speed.
The table clearly shows that this isn’t an evolution of Relink, but a completely distinct entity. And this isn’t the only aspect where the game diverges from the studio’s usual path.
What about Cygames’ other long-in-development titles?
Focusing solely on Awakening wouldn’t provide the full picture. Cygames has two other long-gestating projects in the works that haven’t been heard about in a long time either. Lost Order—a tactical RPG from the creators of Final Fantasy Tactics that was announced in 2017—is, according to Watanabe, “entering the home stretch.” Famitsu journalists were even shown new footage; they described the visual quality as so impressive that it is hard to believe the game is intended for mobile devices.
Garnet Arena: Mages of Magicary—a fantasy action game led by Kenichiro Takaki and announced in 2021—is also in development. Watanabe emphasized: “Development is progressing, and I think we’ll be able to offer something distinct from our other titles.”
It appears the studio isn’t chasing short-term gains but is instead taking the time to properly refine the projects it originally set out to create. In this instance, a lengthy development cycle is not a sign of failure, but the price of ambition. Watanabe specifically noted that completing the games announced at Cygames NEXT 2016 remains one of the company’s top priorities.
When can we expect the game, and what’s next?
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There is no specific release date yet. However, Kimihiro offered a promising hint: at the current pace, new details about Project Awakening could surface in the coming months—or even weeks. The studio is gearing up for another major information push, possibly at an autumn event like the Tokyo Game Show.
For now, the best approach is to keep an eye on Cygames’ official channels and disregard rumors. A project that seemed like a phantom for a decade has finally taken tangible form. Given that the developers aren’t afraid of radical overhauls—ranging from the game engine to the combat system—this promises to be more than just “another RPG”; it aims to be something truly significant.
