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Root Letter Game Gets Hollywood Film Adaptation (Updated)
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Kadokawa Games and Akatsuki Entertainment USA announced at the "Kadokawa Games Fan Dai Kanshasai 2018" event on Saturday that its √Letter (pronounced "Root Letter") game is getting a Hollywood film adaptation. The two companies revealed a teaser visual for the project.
Japanese game company Akatsuki launched the Los Angeles-based Akatsuki Entertainment USA in September 2017 as a venture to acquire, develop, and produce film and TV content, and to form partnerships with Japanese firms. Akatsuki Entertainment USA president Annmarie Bailey is producing the film.
The √Letter mystery visual novel shipped in June 2016 in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Rice Digital and PQube released the game in Europe in October 2016, and in North America in November 2016. Kadokawa Games released the game on PC via Steam in July 2017 and for iOS and Android in August 2017.
PQube describes the game:
Taking place in Shimane, one of Japan's most beautiful prefectures, Root Letter is centered around an investigation into missing pen friend, Fumino Aya, 15 years after she allegedly murdered someone and ran away.The story is told through the old letters she wrote to you in high school, along with you own investigation, as you probe for clues and witnesses from her old hometown.
What happened 15 years ago? Who was your pen friend? What do her friends know? Did she even exist?
LovePlus character designer Tarō Minoboshi planned and designed the characters. Dario Fuji handled the scenario, while Takashi Nitta composed the music. Yoshimi Yasuda produced the game, and Zin Hasegawa directed the game.
The √Letter Last Answer live-action game project, which is a re-release of √Letter, is slated for the PS4, PS Vita, and Nintendo Switch on December 20. The game will include an alternative live-action "Drama Mode" and four new "Explanation" scenarios.
The game's new "Drama Mode" replaces Tarō Minoboshi's illustrations in the original game with live-action photographs from 90 actors, and the background illustrations based on actual Shimane prefecture locations have also been replaced with photographs of the real-life locations. Players can switch between the original illustrations and the "Drama Mode" photographs.
Update: In September 2019, Variety reported that the film will star Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), Keana Marie (Huge in France), and Lydia Hearst (The Haunting of Sharon Tate). Source: Variety (Patrick Frater)
Source: 4Gamer
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