"The Legend of Dragoon" emerged unexpectedly for Sony

The Legend of Dragoon was a notable RPG developed by Sony for the original PlayStation. Producer Shuhei Yoshida explained that it wasn't originally planned as part of a strategy to enter new game genres. Instead, it emerged from a mix of opportunity and happenstance. Yoshida reflected on the excitement surrounding 3D graphics at the time. He was tasked with expanding the development team and was given a generous budget to do so. This led to the idea of creating a new RPG after game designer Yasuyuki Hasebe joined the team. Hasebe, who had previously worked on Super Mario RPG, expressed a desire to make a new RPG, which kickstarted the project. Most of the team members were recent graduates, making the development crew quite young. The Legend of Dragoon grew to have around 100 members and cost Sony approximately $16 million to make. A significant portion of the budget went to creating impressive CGI cutscenes that helped the game stand out. The game featured a unique timed battle mechanic, which added rhythm to combat. This system was an evolution of Hasebe's earlier work and has influenced modern games like the Paper Mario series. While The Legend of Dragoon sold well, particularly in the U.S., it did not generate enough success for a sequel. Today, the game is available for play on PS5, and fans remain hopeful for a potential sequel, despite no official plans in place.