Remember Project Phoenix? If the name doesn't immediately ring a bell, you aren't alone. The project, a real-time strategy game with JRPG influences, was announced on Kickstarter back in 2013. It promised a beautiful, painterly aesthetic and boasted a development team with experience on major titles like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Final Fantasy, Diablo, and LA Noire. After quickly raising $1 million—more than 10 times its initial goal—the game seemingly vanished, with its crowdfunding page still listing the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita as target platforms.
The Long Silence Explained
After missing several release windows, updates from game director Hiroaki Yura slowed to a crawl before stopping entirely in 2019. That seven-year blackout has now ended with a lengthy update from Yura, who admits the silence was his to answer for. "You backed this project, you trusted me with it, and then you heard nothing for a very long time," Yura wrote. "I owe you a full explanation, and more than that, I owe you proof that Project Phoenix is still alive."
Yura explained that he had adopted a strict personal rule: he would not post updates unless he had something meaningful to show. When the project faced significant technical hurdles—specifically the loss of a key programmer the technical side of the game depended on—he found himself with nothing to show and no extra funds to bridge the gap. Rather than providing empty promises, he chose to go dark.
Funding and Future Development
Addressing concerns about how the $1 million in crowdfunding was spent, Yura clarified that the funds were used for early character and creature designs, base models, world-building, and a large portion of music composed by Nobuo Uematsu. While he admits that not every dollar was spent as efficiently as it could have been, he maintains that all funds went into the production of the game.
In the years since the initial campaign, Yura has worked on other studios and projects. He stresses that these efforts were not intended to abandon the original backers; rather, these projects were the only way he could fund the completion of Project Phoenix properly. "The money has only ever moved in one direction, from that work into Phoenix, never the other way," Yura stated.
Looking ahead, the game has grown in scope compared to the original 2013 concept. Yura noted that he now possesses the industry experience he lacked when the project first began, which he believes will result in a better final product. He is currently aiming to wrap production by the end of 2031, though he declined to provide a concrete release date to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
To rebuild trust, Yura plans to launch a Project Phoenix Discord server where backers can follow development more closely. "To everyone still here after all this time, thank you," Yura said. "I don't take it lightly, and I intend to earn back the trust you put in me."