David Cox says changes were needed for Castlevania to keep the franchise going
Castlevania experienced a major change in 2010. Konami gave the series’ reigns to MercurySteam, who went on to make the 3D action game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – and later, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate.
The game was quite the departure from other Castlevanias. Before its arrival, a trio of major 2D titles were made for the DS and Konami created each release in-house.
According to producer Dave Cox, the change was necessary. Cox told EDGE this month that the franchise “wasn’t going anywhere, sales were dwindling and it was appealing to only a very small hardcore base of fans.” Cox feels that Lords of Shadow allowed the series to survive. Without change, “it’s just going to be like Mega Man.”
“We needed to make a change, so we did. The Castlevania series wasn’t going anywhere, sales were dwindling and it was appealing to only a very small hardcore base of fans. That’s how franchises die. The success of Lords of Shadow proved to everyone that there’s life in the series yet and that people could accept us going in a new direction, and we can do that again. We have to take these risks if Castlevania is to survive, otherwise it’s just going to be like Mega Man.”
