Project Phoenix: background and revival
Project Phoenix began life as a high-profile Kickstarter in 2013, positioned as an ambitious JRPG led by producer Hiroaki Yura.
The campaign exceeded its goal and raised $1,014,600, but more than a decade after that funding success the project remained unreleased.
In a recent interview with VGC, Yura confirmed that Project Phoenix has returned to active development under a studio-financed plan and provided a candid account of what derailed the original effort.
Why the original campaign failed: Yura’s admission
Yura told VGC he made fundamental mistakes managing the first production effort.
He acknowledged that he overestimated his ability to lead and deliver a full game as a first-time project lead, and said that poor planning and other compounding factors contributed to the campaign’s failure.
Staffing troubles and the loss of a lead programmer
A critical blow came when a key programmer identified by VGC as David Clark — who was working on Ori and the Blind Forest at the time — could not commit to Project Phoenix after his other project became successful and required more resources.
Yura said the team had been waiting for Clark to join and that his departure significantly delayed progress.
He described Clark’s programming ability as exceptional and said replacing him proved extremely difficult for the original effort.
Controversy and funding clarifications
During the hiatus, Yura faced public controversy over alleged use of Project Phoenix funds to produce the Advance Wars–style RTS Tiny Metal.
Those accusations were later withdrawn, but Yura has stated that current development is being funded by the studio he has since built rather than remaining Kickstarter funds.
Who’s on the team now
Yura says much of the original core creative team remains attached, including composer Nobuo Uematsu and designers Go Takahashi and Koji Moriga.
New and returning contributors reportedly include ex-Crytek artist Erasmus Brosdau and former Blizzard designer Michael Chu, along with environment artist Takuya Suzuki, sound editor Hisao Takano, and producer/designer Ray Hsu.
Yura also shared rough footage of the game’s present state to demonstrate progress.
Timeline and next steps
Yura set an internal development target, telling VGC he has committed to finishing development by the end of 2031.
There is no official release date, platform announcement, or eShop/Nintendo Switch listing confirmed at this time.
The update via VGC is the latest verified status: Project Phoenix is officially back in production, now financed by Yura’s studio and staffed with a reconfigured team, with a long-term completion target of 2031.
Project Phoenix began life as a high-profile Kickstarter in 2013, positioned as an ambitious JRPG led by producer Hiroaki Yura.
The campaign exceeded its goal and raised $1,014,600, but more than a decade after that funding success the project remained unreleased.
In a recent interview with VGC, Yura confirmed that Project Phoenix has returned to active development under a studio-financed plan and provided a candid account of what derailed the original effort.
Why the original campaign failed: Yura’s admission
Yura told VGC he made fundamental mistakes managing the first production effort.
He acknowledged that he overestimated his ability to lead and deliver a full game as a first-time project lead, and said that poor planning and other compounding factors contributed to the campaign’s failure.
Staffing troubles and the loss of a lead programmer
A critical blow came when a key programmer identified by VGC as David Clark — who was working on Ori and the Blind Forest at the time — could not commit to Project Phoenix after his other project became successful and required more resources.
Yura said the team had been waiting for Clark to join and that his departure significantly delayed progress.
He described Clark’s programming ability as exceptional and said replacing him proved extremely difficult for the original effort.
Controversy and funding clarifications
During the hiatus, Yura faced public controversy over alleged use of Project Phoenix funds to produce the Advance Wars–style RTS Tiny Metal.
Those accusations were later withdrawn, but Yura has stated that current development is being funded by the studio he has since built rather than remaining Kickstarter funds.
Who’s on the team now
Yura says much of the original core creative team remains attached, including composer Nobuo Uematsu and designers Go Takahashi and Koji Moriga.
New and returning contributors reportedly include ex-Crytek artist Erasmus Brosdau and former Blizzard designer Michael Chu, along with environment artist Takuya Suzuki, sound editor Hisao Takano, and producer/designer Ray Hsu.
Yura also shared rough footage of the game’s present state to demonstrate progress.
Timeline and next steps
Yura set an internal development target, telling VGC he has committed to finishing development by the end of 2031.
There is no official release date, platform announcement, or eShop/Nintendo Switch listing confirmed at this time.
The update via VGC is the latest verified status: Project Phoenix is officially back in production, now financed by Yura’s studio and staffed with a reconfigured team, with a long-term completion target of 2031.
