Square Enix explains why NEO: The World Ends With You isn’t called The World Ends With You 2

When a game receives a sequel, there’s a pretty easy way to give it a title. A number is often slapped on at the end, and that’s pretty much it. When it comes to the next The World Ends with You game though, Square Enix went with a different approach.

The World Ends With You, which is getting a sequel after more than a decade, won’t be called The World Ends With You 2. Square Enix instead decided to give it the name NEO: The World Ends With You.

Speaking with Destructoid, original director Tatsuya Kando explained:

“We deliberately did not name this game as The World Ends with You 2. We went with NEO: The World Ends with You. So you can essentially think of this as a completely different game. We have new protagonists in Rindo, Fret, and Nagi. They’re not aware of what’s going on, and that is essentially going to be the same perspective as new players who’ll be starting with this title. So in that sense, it shouldn’t be an issue for new players to enjoy the Reapers’ Game. That said, for players who have played the original, they’ll have a better understanding and a more in-depth view of the game.”

The World Ends With You finally returns when NEO: The World Ends With You launches for Switch on July 27.