Shu Takumi initially had doubts about Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Capcom’s Shu Takumi wasn’t always up for the idea of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. As he explained to Game Informer, he “disliked the thought of using the Ace Attorney universe to do a simple crossover with another franchise.”
It was because of Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino’s goal with the project that led Takumi to become more open to the idea. Hino hoped Takumi would be involved and “wanted to do more than just borrow the series’ title and some characters”.
Takumi’s full comments:
I personally disliked the thought of using the Ace Attorney universe to do a simple crossover with another franchise. But Mr. Hino (Level 5’s president), who has always been a fan of Ace Attorney, had wanted to do more than just borrow the series’ title and some characters; his goal had been to have me on the project, and hearing that put me at ease and I gladly agreed to his proposal. I suggested the idea of having witch trials, and became the writer and director of the Ace Attorney parts of the game.
With this game, I was able to bring to life something I wouldn’t have been able to in the actual Ace Attorney series: trials that take place in a world where magic exists.