In 2019, developer Type-Moon, best known for the Fate/ franchise, which began with visual novel Fate/stay night in 2004 and also includes the popular mobile game Fate/grand order, announced the official opening of a brand new game development studio. Dubbed Studio BB – possibly named for a sentient AI which plays an antagonistic role in multiple Fate/ games — the stated goal of the new company was to create both 2D and 3D games based on Fate/ and other existing Type-Moon properties.
Studio BB is led by Kazuya Nino, who previously developed the Dragon Quest Builders series for Square Enix and has also collaborated with Type-Moon on the original Fate/Extra for the PlayStation Portable. Nino left Square Enix because he was interested in devoting more time to smaller-scale and indie projects.
Recently, Nino announced that several new members had joined the Studio BB team, many of whom he had previously worked with at Square on Dragon Quest Builders. These include game designer Yasuhiro Ikuta, scenario writer Koya Tsukuda, art director Yoshikazu Takenouchi, art designer Kuroko Hibara, and programmer Toru Kamiyama. All five will be maintaining these roles as a part of the Studio BB staff.
Nino has teased that Studio BB currently has three games in development, which he has previously described as a “small-scale,” “medium-scale,” and “large-scale” project. All three are currently rumored to connect in some way to the “Nasuverse,” the collection of works imagined by writer and Type-Moon co-founder Kinoko Nasu. Properties included in the “Nasuverse” are the entire Fate/ franchise as well as the visual novel Tsukihime (Moon Princess) and its sequels and spinoffs.
そろそろウチも何か作品を発表しないとですよねー…(前ふり)
— 新納一哉 (@Nino_Kazuya) June 6, 2020
Nino may intend to reveal more information regarding these projects sometime this summer. Following the virtual Indie Live Expo event on June 6, the director took to his official Twitter account to congratulate the event’s participants and express excitement regarding upcoming indie games. He also tweeted, “I think we should probably announce one of our games soon too.” Although Nino later insisted that he was kidding, it is quite possible a new announcement from Studio BB could indeed be coming this summer.
What games would you like to see developed by Studio BB? Let us know!
