New Castlevania 3DS game kept Mercury Steam going

The Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2's upcoming 3DS prequel Mirror of Fate is more than just a story bridge for Mercury Steam. It is their very livelihood, according to Konami's Dave Cox.

Cox, who is a producer on all three of Mercury Steam's modern Castlevania titles, tells Eurogamer that without Mirror of Fate, which they began production on right near the release of the original Lords of Shadow, the studio might have had to shut down.

"Generally you do ramp up towards the end of a project and then you do let some people go," Cox said. "But, basically, we put everything into Lords of Shadow. The studio banked everything on it. It was, literally, if we don't have a project by the end of the month, we're finished."

It was Cox's idea to have them put together a handheld title that would be less intensive than a full-on home console release. And, fortunately, taking on Mirror of Fate allowed Mercury Steam to stay in business and keep people employed.

You'll be able to obtain your copy of the 3DS game that saved Mercury Steam on March 5 in the US and March 8 in Europe.