SOL Shogunate: Chaos Manufacturing CEO Breaks Down Bringing Samurai Into Space

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Chaos Manufacturing, a new studio formed by developers from well-known companies like Riot, Blizzard, and CD Projekt Red, is launching with its first game, SOL Shogunate. This sci-fi samurai title is currently in development and promises stunning graphics and fast-paced combat. The game, planned for release on PlayStation 5, features a large and immersive world, as shown in its recently released trailer.

Developing the game was a challenge. The team drew inspiration from the historical strongholds of Japan’s shogunate period in the Middle Ages, and carefully blended fast-paced action with RPG elements. In an interview with egmr.ru, Chaos Manufacturing CEO Guy Costantini talked about how SOL Shogunate came to be, explaining how they combined Japanese history and art with a cosmic setting, and the process of turning a promising idea into a truly excellent game.

The Next Frontier

Guy Costantini, discussing the inspiration behind the samurai space opera, shared that he’d always loved samurai stories and wanted to create a science fiction setting that felt fresh. He noticed a lot of sci-fi focused on gritty, futuristic cityscapes, and he wanted to move beyond that. Being a fan of both genres, he challenged himself to find a unique approach. He envisioned a near-future sci-fi world that felt both realistic and otherworldly, aiming to surprise audiences with an unexpected combination. This led to the core concept: what if feudal Japan existed in space? From there, the team worked to build a believable version of that idea.

We carefully developed this new story, collaborating with talented writers from Japan and the creators of The Walking Dead, as well as friends in the gaming world. We decided to set the story during and after the Meiji Restoration, extending through World War II with a twist: Japan achieves an armistice. This allows them to recruit scientists from Nazi Germany and ultimately dominate the space race. While the US and USSR still progress, Asia—specifically Japan—becomes the global leader in technological innovation. The story follows humanity’s expansion into space and a century of prosperity, attributing this success to a uniquely Eastern perspective.

As a result of these events, the dominant cultural influence shifted from the West to the East, impacting everything from music and philosophy to architecture and religion – all areas shaped by centuries of human experience. Naturally, conflict still arose; just as humanity was beginning to develop free energy for everyone, including a massive solar energy collector, that technology was turned into a weapon. From the resulting devastation emerged the SOL Shogunate, a highly militarized society modeled after feudal Japan but powered by advanced technology, allowing it to control the planets within our solar system. We decided this was the perfect setting to begin our story.

According to Costantini, a key part of Chaos Manufacturing’s approach is a deep focus on creating rich stories and worlds – essentially, a “really solid foundation” for building entirely new universes. To make this happen, Costantini knew he needed talented artists and collaborators. He needed to create a project exciting enough to attract people away from other opportunities and convince them to join him. Fortunately, his experience bringing games to market and persuading others to take risks proved invaluable, marking the start of this journey. A crucial step in this process was bringing Leszek Szczepański on board, whose work on popular franchises like Metal Gear, Castlevania, Mortal Kombat, Killzone, and Horizon was essential to developing the series.

Szczepański co-founded Chaos Manufacturing and is the Game Director for SOL Shogunate. Costantini described him as a perfect partner, explaining that Szczepański has experience with both small, independent projects and large, high-budget games. Together, they aimed to create a game company that could produce high-quality games with a small, efficient team. They believe many modern games are overly ambitious and intimidating. While acknowledging that some people enjoy lengthy games, they wanted to create something more accessible – a game players could enjoy in a weekend or over a month, and one that would keep them engaged with its innovative ideas.

SOL Shogunate represents a bold new direction for the company. The game blends RPG and action elements within a sweeping sci-fi world, focusing on creating a truly immersive experience. The developers realized they needed to concentrate their efforts to deliver something exceptional. Their goal is a compelling single-player game where satisfying combat is central, but also allows players to be captivated by the game’s unique setting. They want players to feel like a genetically enhanced space samurai and truly connect with that fantasy. If they can achieve that, they believe the game will be a success, and their focus has been on bringing that vision to life.

SOL Shogunate stands out from many other games because it deliberately focuses on doing a few things exceptionally well, rather than trying to include a lot of different features. According to the game’s creator, many games prioritize elaborate world-building and complex systems, but they wanted a more streamlined experience. They also wanted to avoid the trap of making a game only about combat, where the story feels like an addition. Their goal was to create a compelling story that is enhanced by engaging combat. This approach keeps the plot central to the game and allows players to influence the narrative through their choices.

The game’s design draws inspiration from classic titles like Metal Gear Solid, particularly how those games used in-battle communication to develop characters and tell the story. The developers aimed to blend exciting action with a strong narrative in a similar way, creating a sense of grand cinematic scale. They believe games uniquely allow for immersive world-building across various media because players are actively involved, but acknowledge the challenge of creating such an experience. Despite the difficulty, they remain committed to their vision.

The Lone Samurai

The game centers around Yuzuki, the sole remaining member of a samurai family that was almost entirely killed before the story begins. Now a wandering ronin, she travels the lunar frontier seeking revenge against the clan responsible for her family’s destruction. According to the developers, inspired by the classic text Book of Five Rings, the game explores what it means to be the ultimate warrior in a technologically advanced future. They asked themselves how a samurai would approach a battlefield with varying gravity and a wider range of tools and weapons.

This resulted in Yuzuki being genetically engineered with skin made of a special bioceramic material. This gives her a unique appearance, setting her apart from typical video game heroes, and allows her to survive in the harsh environment of space without being harmed by radiation or extreme temperatures. She’s incredibly adaptable in places where others couldn’t function. This technology is exclusive to the Samurai class, but the difficult and painful process of achieving this power – a process that essentially turns people into near-gods – has both benefits and drawbacks. Yuzuki underwent this process earlier than most due to events in her past. While she’s experienced trauma, it’s made her resilient. Her skin reflects this, appearing like Kintsugi – a Japanese art form where broken pottery is repaired with gold. She looks like a normal person with subtle gold highlights in her muscles when indoors, but when exposed to the elements, her skin hardens and becomes visibly bioceramic.

The look of the game really ties into how you play. You can customize my character, Yuzuki, changing her abilities and equipping her with different gear. There are also some cool gadgets that help me get around. I’ve got thrusters for those low-gravity areas, and these nanofiber cables let me swing and move through space. Basically, my loadout is totally flexible. I need to adapt to whatever enemies I’m facing, which feels really ‘Samurai’ to me. Like, if you know anything about Samurai, they’d switch up their weapons – sometimes a bow, depending on the situation. I need to use everything around me to win, and that’s what we were going for – capturing that feeling of what people admire about legendary Samurai.

The art and visual style of SOL Shogunate are heavily inspired by the past, as seen in details like armored leaders and robotic horses outside the lunar mining settlements. This design choice directly supports the game’s story, which focuses on a rigid class system where the wealthy benefit from the hidden labor of those working on distant colonies. As one of the developers explained, “Those in power use technology to create the world they desire…” The game world is rich with meaning, built on cultural contrasts and their impact on everyone, and it was a joy to create.”

Reflecting on the creation of SOL Shogunate, Costantini compared the development process to sculpting. He explained that sculpting involves removing everything unnecessary to reveal the final form. He realized building the game was similar – the team started with many ideas, but had to carefully remove those that didn’t serve the overall vision. While it was often difficult to let go of ideas he considered important, looking back, he clearly saw how those cuts led to significant improvements over the course of the project. It was a process of refinement, where removing elements ultimately strengthened the game.

As a fan, it’s really interesting to hear about the development process! They had so many cool ideas and mechanics they were excited about, but they ended up cutting a lot of them. At first, it probably felt awful to let go of things you loved, but looking back, it actually made the game better. It takes real discipline to admit when something isn’t working, even if you had a strong vision for it. They’d build a prototype, play it, and sometimes it just didn’t feel right. It’s like with any technology – you can fall in love with an idea, but sometimes you have to be willing to scrap it and start fresh. They did that, and it really paid off! It’s made me appreciate how much work and tough decisions go into making something truly great.

SOL Shogunate does not currently have a release date.

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2025-12-05 01:42