Sega to hold three lectures at GDC 2025, discussing Metaphor: ReFantazio and Like A Dragon

by Adam Vitale on 27 February, 2025

Sega has announced that they will host three lectures at this year's GDC in San Francisco, featuring Metaphor: ReFantazio and Like a Dragon. While the panels seemingly won't be live-streamed, Sega may share information at a later date.

Details about the lectures can be found below, via Sega, with links to the GDC website. RPG Site plans to attend these at GDC and you can expect some thoughts after the event.

Developing 'Metaphor: ReFantazio' and the Potential of RPG Command Battle Systems

What: How has the genre of command battle RPGs, often ridiculed as old-fashioned, been updated into the latest titles? This presentation will cover the twists and turns, decisions made to realize the director's vision into the optimal game system, and the methods of test play conducted to gather data for balance adjustments more reliably and cost-effectively, using the latest work "Metaphor: ReFantazio" as an example.
Who: Kenichi Goto (Lead Battle Planner, ATLUS)
When: Thursday, March 20th, 9:30 am (60 minutes)
Where: Room 3004, West Hall

From 'Persona' to 'Metaphor: ReFantazio': Creating a Visual Identity for a New Series

What: This session will introduce the process of realizing the UI style of "Metaphor: ReFantazio." Lead interface designer Koji Ise will explain his approach to the art style, convey the importance of UI design to gameplay, explore some of the problems encountered during development, and explain how the team tried to differentiate Metaphor from Persona.
Who: Koji Ise (Lead Interface Designer, ATLUS)
When: Thursday, March 20th, 3:30 pm (60 minutes)
Where: Room 3004, West Hall

The Secret to Narrative-Driven and Short-Term Development in 'Like a Dragon'

What: Two long-time Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio developers will explain - from the perspectives of game design and visual design - how the Like a Dragon & Yakuza series has been able to continuously develop narrative-driven games in a short period of time.
Who: Ryosuke Horii (Chief Director and Producer, SEGA), Eiji Hamatsu (Design Manager, 1st Business Unit, SEGA)
When: Friday, March 21, 10:00 am (60 minutes)
Where: Room 3004, West Hall