The winners of this year’s Future Division were announced on the last day of Tokyo Game Show (TGS) on Sunday, September 28, 2025. Only titles presented at this year’s TGS were eligible to be voted on by the public.

The 11 winners were as follows:

・Resident Evil Requiem・Ghost of Yotei・Digimon Story: Time Stranger・Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties・Mega Man Star Force Legacy collection・Akiba Lost・Mugendai ANANTA・Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment・Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection・Nioh 3・PRAGMATA

Here are some of the comments from the producer or director of each awarded title, along with their answers to questions from fans.

Resident Evil Requiem

Each Resident Evil title has different themes, what would you say makes this Requiem similar or different from previous games in the series?

Some fans found RE:7 to be too scary, but Requiem is the right amount of scary. By choosing to play the game from a 1st or 3rd person perspective, you can mitigate the fear factor of the game.

What kind of protagonist is Grace?

She works for the FBI, but she’s probably more afraid than any other character in the whole franchise. How she overcomes her fears and grows as a character to defeat enemies will define her.

Ghost of Yotei

They tried their best to faithfully present the location of Ezo, Hokkaido. You’ll be rewarded for exploration and also experience relaxing vibes while playing the game, and they’re deeply honored to have made a game like this about Japan and have it be so openly received by Japanese people.

Ghost of Tsushima is based on real events, but this is an original story. How did you go about making it?

While Ghost of Yotei’s story is set within historical context, just after the Battle of Sekigahara, they wanted to tell a more human story than present in Ghost of Tsushima.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

It’s been 10 years since the last entry in the series, so they’ve been hard at work developing this game for Digimon fans.

What aspect did you focus on the most when making the game?

1. How to enjoy the game as an JRPG for Digimon fans and newcomers to the series.

2. There's a little over 500 Digimon in the game. In comparison, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, which was released 10 years ago, only had around 300 Digimon. So they focused on using this generation's hardware specs to increase the details and fidelity of each Digimon.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

Why did you decide to bundle two games into one package, as opposed to just Yakuza Kiwami 3?

Yakuza Kiwami 3 has a ton of content alone. But they've been releasing more and more gaiden stories which fans have come to enjoy.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection

It’s been 20 years since the original games were released on the Nintendo DS back in 2006.

To core fans of the series, what did you consider when making this game?

They wanted to bring back nostalgic memories for fans of the series while also remaking the game with revamped controls and other options to help accessibility for new players.

Akiba Lost

Akiba Lost is a live-action filmed game that’s a collaboration between IzanagiGames, Nippon TV, and AX-ON. Unlike the previous game of this type IzanagiGames made, it's about 20 hours with seven playable characters. They developed it with a focus on it being deeply cinematic, but with many gameplay elements like switching your character, making key decisions, making use of 360 degree cameras, and more. They also want players of all skill levels to enjoy it.

Why did you choose Hiromitsu Kitayama to play the main role?

The casting was actually done by Nippon TV, and he wanted to try something new and thought the project would be a good match. Unlike acting for a drama or movie, there’s numerous dialogue options and scenarios to learn, so it’s been a good challenge.

Mugendai ANANTA

Mugendai ANANTA is an open world game, set in an anime-styled city filled with action. You'll meet many different characters on your journey, and you’re free to live how you’d like in the game. They hope the game will surpass your expectations for the game.

What was the most difficult aspect of development thus far?

They struggled with the character designs the most because they are striving to create believable characters that they hope players want to see. They also want players to feel like these characters have lived in the world of ANANTA and properly fit into the story.

What do you feel are the important aspects of the game?

The focus on the bonds between the characters. ANANTA is all about the characters you befriend within the game.

They made the game on the philosophy of what if you could live infinite lives, thus the possibilities would be endless.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment can only be played on Nintendo Switch 2, and Tokyo Game Show was the first place the public has been able to play it. It’s hard to convey how much the game improved by only watching trailers, so they’re happy fans were able to play it and feel the improvements.

You’re also able to use Zonai tools in battle. How do they change how you play?

They wanted fans of Tears of the Kingdom to feel at home using the Zonai tools in battle. Plus, you’ll also be able to do something else from Tears of the Kingdom with your Zonai tools, but they’re not ready to speak on that yet.

What has the Nintendo Switch 2 allowed you to do in terms of gameplay?

The warriors series is known for having many enemies on screen at once, but this wasn't possible on the Switch 1. However, with the Switch 2, they’re able to do it while running at a smooth framerate.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

This is the 3rd title in the Monster Hunter Stories series, and while at first they struggled with the direction they wanted to take the game, they decided to make it a deeper-focused RPG.

You talked about making it more RPG-like than before, what did you have to approach differently compared to the last game?

They changed the art direction of the characters from looking younger to being more older and mature. While the previous games were made from the perspective of a Monster Hunter game played as an RPG, Stories 3 puts an emphasis on just being a solid JRPG filled with action and serious themes, coupled with Monster Hunter.

How did you improve riding actions?

Capcom is known for action games, so they leveraged that knowledge to really make the actions more smooth and increase the detail for movement within the animations.

Nioh 3

Now that the game is no longer mission based and is open field (semi-open world), how does that change the feeling players get while playing?

The main thing is that you can now explore, which means you have a choice on where you go and which enemies you choose to engage. This allows players to approach the game with more freedom.

PRAGMATA

The game was first revealed in 2020, and they’ve always received questions about the status of the game’s development.

The dynamic between the girl and the main character is interesting. What is their relationship?

Hugh Williams looks like a robot because of his mech-like suit, whereas Diana looks human but is an AI robot. You'll see how their bond grows as the game progresses and it’s something to look forward to.

The hacking gameplay is another way you'll visually experience their relationship change throughout the game. (You can actually try out the hacking mini-game on the official website if you’re a bit curious how it plays.) They have their necessary roles to play in the game, and they have to work together to defeat enemies and explore the environment.

What should gamers look forward to enjoying in the game?

Action gamers should of course look forward to the action, while casual gamers can expect a good story.