Possibly one of the biggest surprises to come out of E3 2021 was that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will be seeing a modern remaster later this year. Originally a Nintendo Wii U exclusive, the horror game will arrive on modern platforms just in time for Halloween, and the team is hopeful that said release will result in a new entry being made.
Speaking with Japanese outlet Famitsu (as translated by Nintendo Everything), producer Keisuke Kikuchi (who has worked on the Fatal Frame series since the first game as well as multiple other Koei Tecmo titles) was asked if the series could be revived if Maiden of Black Water performs well. While there is no guarantee, Kikuchi certainly hopes so, suggesting that it's something the whole team would love to see happen, especially with 2021 marking its 20th anniversary.
"That’s what I’m hoping. We’re releasing this game to commemorate the series’ 20th anniversary, and we’re hoping a lot of fans will take take the opportunity to play the game. We’d love this to lead to a new title."
Maiden of Black Water is the fifth mainline entry in the series and released back in 2014. At the time it was met with mixed reviews and while there are no exact sales numbers for it, it had a somewhat odd release that may have negatively affected said sales. Aside from it only being available on the Wii U (which itself suffered from low sales), it was also a digital only release, with a limited edition physical version only releasing in Europe and Australia.
With it soon to be available on multiple, and more popular, platforms, it certainly stands a better chance of selling well nowadays than it did back in 2014. And while strong sales don't always guarantee a sequel, they certainly improve the odds of Koei Tecmo giving the go ahead for a follow up.
While there may not be as much of a demand for a Fatal Frame revival as there is for Silent Hill (which, coincidentally, is what inspired Fatal Frame in the first place), the series has consistently received critical acclaim and considered to be on par with other horror series like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Each entry offers a different story and characters, but the common thread throughout is the Camera Obscura, an item that is used by the player to capture and pacify spirits.
Although it originated on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the series seemed to make a new home at Nintendo for a period. The fourth game released as a Nintendo Wii exclusive in 2008, followed by a Wii remake of the second game in 2012, and then Maiden of Black Water for Wii U. One of the main protagonists of that last game, Yuri Kozukata, can be spotted in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well as an Assist Trophy.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water releases for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 28th.
Source: Nintendo Everything