The remastering of the classic games in the Tales saga by Bandai Namco faces a significant challenge due to the lack of source code and master data from the original titles. This inconvenience is not exclusive to the Tales series; in fact, Square Enix experienced a similar problem when reconstructing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The project director, Kazutoyo Maehiro, confirmed that the absence of such data complicated the remastering. The situation is similar for Bandai Namco, which now has to investigate the location of the source code and who manages it, according to the series producer, Yusuke Tomizawa, at the Tokyo Game Show.
Playing by eye is quite complicated
The lack of detailed documentation and the work of multiple studies in the development of the series have made the search and analysis of the original data a prolonged process. Tomizawa admitted that finding the relevant information can take months and, once found, often presents gaps that must be filled before being able to proceed with the remastering.
Despite these challenges, Bandai Namco announced the Tales Remaster Project as part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the series, starting with the release of Tales of Graces f Remastered in January. The next title on the list is Tales of Xillia Remastered, scheduled for October 31. Bandai’s strategy does not follow a strict chronological order, but rather focuses on efficiency, opting to remaster first those titles that are easier to adapt.
Tomizawa also said: “I know some fans might be thinking ‘What is the release order?’; however, this non-linear production responds to the speed and quantity of releases.” Meanwhile, JRPG fans eagerly await the arrival of these remastered versions, which celebrate one of the most beloved franchises in the genre.
