Tecmo Koei doesn't think the Dynasty Warriors franchise gets enough credit

Tecmo Koei is trying to grow the Dynasty Warriors brand outside of Japan, specifically in the UK, and the publisher wants consumers to see the franchise as more than just a hack 'n' slash series.

Speaking in an interview with MCV, the firm's vice president of sales and marketing said the publisher plans to try and rectify this opinion with the release of Dynasty Warriors 7 next month.

"There is a tendency to think of Warriors games as just simple hack ‘n’ slash affairs but they are mainly about the characters and their role within large narrative structures,” said Will Curley. “Only by playing through every character’s storyline can you truly understand each conflict. We never label any particular side as good or bad, right or wrong – we let the players experience the war from all perspectives for themselves and make-up their own minds.

“I don’t think Warriors games get enough credit for the way they use the interactive nature of games to explore themes and narratives. But we believe this formula can be as appealing to the broad audience overseas as it is in Japan.”

Curley also said that Dynasty Warriors 7 has been given “the biggest upgrade the series has ever received," and shows just how much the series has progressed over the years.

"We don’t think of Warriors games as a finite product but as an ongoing franchise with many entry-points and lots of contents for users to discover and enjoy once they have taken the initial plunge," he said.

Dynasty Warriors 7 is out March 10 in Japan, March 22 in the US, and March 25 in the UK on PS3 and Xbox 360.