It seems these days as though nearly every game from generations past is getting the remake treatment. A Lollipop Chainsaw remake is the latest to be announced and is expected to release sometime next year in 2023. Interestingly though, this remake project will apparently take place without the involvement of the original game’s two creators.
The original Lollipop Chainsaw released back in 2012 and was directed by the enigma behind titles such as Killer7 and No More Heroes; Suda51. However, Suda51’s unique vision is apparently something that is not required for the remake, as he is one of the two creators of the original game who will not be involved this time around.
The other one is none other than Guardians of the Galaxy director; James Gunn. Gunn wrote the original Lollipop Chainsaw and it was in fact him who broke the news via Twitter that he nor Suda51 will be involved with this remake. The Tweet in question can be seen below where he also mentions that he was not aware that this remake was taking place until a few short weeks ago:
To answer the question in the article, neither I nor @suda_51 are currently involved in this. I heard about it for the first time from Suda a couple weeks ago. https://t.co/hc659ROwXQ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 5, 2022
Gunn not being involved with the remake makes sense, as he is obviously very busy with his Marvel and DC projects currently. However, it does seem fairly odd that Suda51 isn’t even being listed as a consultant on this remake, given that he directed the original game.
The original Lollipop Chainsaw was a quirky, hack and slash title featuring a garish colour palette. Players played as a blonde high school cheerleader who mowed down hordes of zombies in sunny California. The tone of the game was light and off-beat, with Tara Strong providing the protagonist’s sarcastic, fourth wall-breaking dialogue.
The game received middling reviews and faded away into obscurity following its release, though in the years since, it has become something of a cult classic. Nowadays though, it is fairly difficult to get your hands on the title, as it has been removed from all digital storefronts due to the agreement lapsing on the game’s licensed soundtrack.
Dragami Games will be the studio responsible for developing the Lollipop Chainsaw remake and have said that the new version will replace the licensed songs from the original game. The remake will also feature a new graphical style, which will look more realistic and less cartoony than that of the original.
Although Gunn and Suda51 are not returning to develop the remake, many of the rest of the original development team are. Apparently the remake will be developed by, “a combination of development staff from the original version, including Yasuda as producer, and new development staff from Dragami Games.”
SOURCE: IGN Article
The game’s original producer Yoshimi Yasuda, who is also onboard for this remake also put out a statement with regard to the game being remade for modern consoles:
We, the original development staff on Lollipop Chainsaw, think of the game as very precious to us, and did not want to leave it in limbo, where players who want to play it cannot. As such, we purchased the Lollipop Chainsaw intellectual property from Kadokawa Games, and decided to develop a remake. We have already contacted Warner Bros. about development, and are being supported by them in this endeavor.
At the time of writing, no specific release date has been given beyond the vague window of 2023. Nor have the platforms that the remake will appear on been announced. The original only ever released on PS3 and Xbox 360, never coming to Windows, so it will be interesting to see whether or not the remake will make it to PC.
Are you excited to play the remake of Lollipop Chainsaw on modern consoles, given that the original isn’t backwards compatible on any systems? Are you getting fed up of all of these remakes for obscure past titles being announced? Let us know in the comments section below, or you can hit me up on twitter linked below in my bio.
Dominic Allen
I’ll probably buy the remake. The original game is okay, but nothing to ride home about either. The game at least has a lot of variety in the levels, so it never got boring. When I beat it, I was definitely finished with it and moved on to something else. I’m fine with a replaced soundtrack because I mostly hated the licensed music used for the game. Every time you use your star meter, Mickey by Toni Basil plays, which is just terrible. I understand she’s a cheerleader, but that song sucks. What is a worry, though, is Jimmy Urine’s contributions being replaced. His lawsuit is still going on, and the remake very well could replace Zed’s voice and his work on the boss fight themes. GhenryPerez pointed that out on Twitter. He is a YouTuber that mainly focuses on Suda51 games and has an almost 4 and a half hour video on No More Heroes III.