Koei Tecmo discusses the possibility of a Fatal Frame 1 remake

Koei Tecmo has has commented on the possibility of giving the very first Fatal Frame remake. This comes as part of an interview with 4Gamer.

Next month, we’ll be seeing Fatal Frame 2 Remake. Some might be wondering why Koei Tecmo didn’t start with the first entry in the series. That would make logical sense, and we did technically see Project Zero 2: Wii Edition back in the day (although that one never came to North America).

When asked if there was any talk about starting with a remake of the original Fatal Frame, series director Makoto Shibata said:

Shibata: Of course we received requests like that and it was an opinion within the company too. However, I think the game was so well received as the concept of ‘taking photos of spirits’ was new at that time. As the series continued we added new elements. If we remade Fatal Frame as it was, the number of areas and characters was quite low so there would be lots of things to reconsider. Furthermore the story isn’t very long, so the playtime is quite short. It was easier to see that Crimson Butterfly with a longer story and more content would be a better title to consider making.

Assuming the Crimson Butterfly Remake is received well, in the future if you continue to remake older games, is there still a possibility of seeing a remake of the first Fatal Frame game?

Shibata: Sure there is. However, as I said before, there is a problem of content but if we, for example, greatly evolved the game, then I think we would be able to share a new experience.

We’ll be seeing Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake on Nintendo Switch 2 starting March 11, 2026. Head on over here for our translation on why Koei Tecmo decided to work on that remake. 

Translation provided by Simon Griffin, SatsumaFS, and Philip Proctor on behalf of Nintendo Everything.