On April 2, the Fire Emblem Cipher Project Team announced the TCG will be stopping. The final cards will release with the 22nd Booster Pack on October 1, 2020. This is incredibly sad news for Fire Emblem fans around the world, as the FE Cipher Trading Card Game is reputed for its gorgeous illustrations featuring many different characters of the franchise.
Following the shocking announcement that Fire Emblem Cipher is stopping, a short live stream was held on YouTube, featuring Fire Emblem Cipher Producer Ryota Kawade. He appeared alone during the live stream and explained just why FE Cipher is ending. We translated his words below.
Ryota Kawade first mentioned there are multiple reasons why Cipher is ending, and he couldn’t easily explain every single one of them, so he shared a few. One of the reasons is how it’s been five years since Cipher launched, and the circumstances around the trading card game have changed during these five years.
For example, one of FE Cipher‘s initial objectives was being a card game that can be enjoyed by players currently playing a Fire Emblem video game, or waiting for the next Fire Emblem game to release. Fire Emblem Cipher would fulfill this objective by putting the spotlight on characters from the previous games. That way, fans can enjoy seeing their favorite characters again. However, this role is now fulfilled by Fire Emblem Heroes, along with events for the fans such as concerts.
Another role Cipher fulfilled was to gather and connect Fire Emblem fans. Kawade mentioned how he heard that two Fire Emblem fans met thanks to a Cipher event and ended up marrying each other, and he’s really happy the TCG managed to fulfill this role, connecting people. Lastly, he mentioned how Fire Emblem itself changed in these five years, with how the franchise became even more popular. This is all thanks to the fans and the players of the card game.
The final gathering event, Minna no Cipher Kai 2020, is planned for December 19, 2020, in Tokyo. The title for the 22nd and final Booster Pack was revealed too, it’ll be called “Eiyuu tachi no Gaika”. The cards will feature characters from every single Fire Emblem game and include many surprises to celebrate Cipher and thank the fans. The illustrations for the cards will be handled by an all-star selection of Cipher artists, including Awakening‘s Yusuke Kozaki and Three Houses‘ Chinatsu Kurahana. It’s rare that the games’ original character designers themselves draw Cipher cards, so this shows how much of a celebration this final booster pack will be.
The 22nd Fire Emblem Cipher Booster Pack “Eiyuu tachi no Gaika” will also include 13 cards forming a fresco with all the Fire Emblem protagonists. This is only a rough illustration shown during the stream, and the characters’ poses might be different in the final versions of the cards. Many other cards will be included, and many cards will make you think “as expected of Cipher” and definitely satisfy the fans.
【川出】まだまだ頑張りますので、最後までサイファを楽しんでください！ どうぞよろしくお願いします！ #FEcipher pic.twitter.com/cnBV130DCB
— ファイアーエムブレム０（サイファ）公式 (@FEcipher) April 2, 2020
Once the stream ended, on Twitter, Producer Kawade asked fans to keep supporting Fire Emblem Cipher until the end.
Fire Emblem Three Houses, the latest game in the series, is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch. It’s the best selling game of the franchise,and a side story DLC titled Cindered Shadows was just released. Three Houses recently got a Drama CD too. You can check out our Fire Emblem Three Houses review to learn more about the game.
The post Fire Emblem Cipher Producer Explains why the TCG is Ending Production by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.