Panzer Dragoon VR producer falsely claimed as dead; game’s fate uncertain
The VR Panzer Dragoon game may be canceled after producer Haruto Watanabe was incorrectly reported as dead.
Fan mourning quickly turned to confusion after the director of Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record was falsely reported as dead. The official Panzer Dragoon VR Twitter posted on Oct. 5 that they would cancel the upcoming game in the wake of the passing of producer Haruto Watanabe. However, later that same day, the account deleted the tweet after other users claimed that Watanabe was alive and healthy.
According to VGC, the now-deleted tweet stated:
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record has been cancelled due to the cancellation of the contract by Sega and the death of the producer, Haruto Watanabe, CEO of Wildman Inc. Thank you for your support.
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record on Twitter (@PanzerDragoonVR)
The situation is puzzling, to say the least. The tweet not only mentions Watanabe’s sudden death but also that SEGA was backing out of its contract with the Panzer Dragoon VR team. While the first part is false, that second part remains a mystery.
So where does this leave Panzer Dragoon VR?
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record will adapt the first three Panzer Dragoon games into VR for the first time. SEGA itself has minimal involvement in the title, signing over a contract to let Wildman handle all aspects of the game. However, this unexplained Twitter debacle casts doubts on whether or not that deal is still valid.
We know at least one thing for now: Haruto Watanabe is indeed alive. Immediately after that Tweet went live, colleagues replied to the message to confirm that Watanabe is safe, with one saying that “a lot of friends are gathering.” Another responded that Watanabe will talk about what’s happening “as soon as he is settled.”
Of course, it’s good to hear that Watanabe is okay. However, these false reports have put the future of Panzer Dragoon VR into question. It’s unknown who authorized the tweet to begin with, whether it was a community manager at Wildman or a higher-up. For now, all we can do is wait for someone at Wildman or SEGA to give us more information on what’s happening with the game. Then, at least, we might know why Watanabe’s status was misrepresented.
Via Kotaku.
