Death Come True

Death Come True (デスカムトゥルー, Desukamutourū), stylized as DE∀TH COME TЯUE, is an upcoming murder mystery adventure full motion video game. The game's tagline is "Is it a movie? Is it a game?" (「これは映画なのか？ゲームなのか？」).

The game was written and directed by Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka. It was developed by TooKyo Games and published by Izanagi Games. It is expected to release in June 2020 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android, and will be available at launch with subtitles in multiple languages , with a price point of ¥1900.

Gallery

 * 📷 For images, see: Death Come True/Gallery.

History
Makoto Karaki wakes up in a hotel, and realizes he has lost his memory. He has no recollection of who he is or why he is in the hotel. By watching the news on TV, he learns that he is wanted for a series of murders. He also finds he has the miraculous ability to "Time Leap" - able to return to the past each time he dies. By dying multiple times, he is able to change the decisions he made and try to discover the truth of how he ended up a wanted man, and must figure out who amongst the other people in the hotel he is able to trust.

Pre-Production and Development
As a child, director Kazutaka Kodaka was obsessed with movies and video games, and went on to major in film studies at. While in university he worked part-time at the video games store Chameleon Club which gave him the ability to play a lot of games due to his staff discount, and his goals shifted from working in the film industry to applying his knowledge to the video games industry. Kodaka's professor helped Kodaka gain the opportunity to work as an Assistant Director on during the production of, where Kodaka helped to produce the -style cutscenes. . Following this experience, Kodaka then became a scenario writer, first employed by to produce stories for the ' series, and was later hired by  where he created his own successful visual novel original IP series, '. Kodaka and several other ex-Spike employees parted ways with Spike Chunsoft in 2017, where they formed a new independent games studio, TooKyo Games.

Without the restraints of working for a big studio, Kodaka was able to work on projects he wanted to, rather than ones that a big studio would consider marketable. One such project is Death Come True. His aspiration with the game was to create a project that was "neither a game nor a movie", but a new kind of entertainment which is a blend of both. Despite knowing that FMV-style games have a very small audience - self-deprecatingly predicting that a Death Come True might "only sell 35 copies worldwide, all bought by my relatives", the game is a passion project for Kodaka because of his previous original goal of working in the film industry. Producer Shinsuke Umeda commented that because the concept of the game is "a new entertainment type that is neither a movie nor a game", they are looking to market the game in such a way that it appeals to movie fans who don't normally play video games, and asks people to "Please think of it as one of the entertainment options for movies or Netflix". In this way it seems the game is hoping to appeal to audiences in the way that  had crossover appeal as a piece of interactive media. The price point of ¥1900 (approximately $20) is intended to bring the game in line with an average Blu-Ray movie release, in order to attract movie fans who might not play many video games.

On December 15th, it was confirmed that the game is being developed for iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and PC platforms. As of December 2019, all live action footage for the game has completed filming, and the game is expected to release in June 2020. It is planned for the game to be available with English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese subtitles at launch. The game will feature a soundtrack composed by Danganronpa composer Masafumi Takada, with a theme song composed and performed by Japanese rock band "Kami-sama, I have noticed".

Casting
Makoto Karaki, played by Kanata Hongō, was the first character revealed on December 10th, 2019. In a statement, Hongō said: "This is an adventure game with a story that changes according to decisions made by the player. I think it is a new endeavor to produce this all in live-action. The thoroughness of the script is also very good, complete with unique features that can only be found in this game. I wanted to perform acting that couldn't be expressed well in CG so that players could understand why live-action film was chosen for this project". Hongō previously performed the lead role of Makoto Naegi in the stage adaptations of Kodaka's Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak Academy, as well as providing the voice of Ryota Mitarai in the Danganronpa 3 anime, and Kodaka cast Hongō in the lead role of Death Come True because he loved Hongō's acting and thought he would be a good fit for the role and scenario.

On December 13th, 2019 Akane Sachimura was the second character revealed, played by Chiaki Kuriyama. On the casting, producer Shinsuke Umeda said: "I'm working on a project with someone from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill... I wish I could tell myself back when I was a student working at a video store talking about Pulp Fiction at the register." Director Kodaka commented: "She did a fantastic job of course with acting the role and also acted with a great understanding of the characteristic of this game and its uniqueness. She is a great actress!"

On December 20th, 2019 Nozomu Kuji was the third character revealed, played by Win Morisaki. In his casting announcement, Win Morisaki posted the following statement: "I was thrilled as an actor to be a part of this unique project and I truly enjoyed acting for it. While acting out the various storylines, the project made me dream so much that I actually wanted to live out different time axes in the real world. I believe that since the acting is being done by real people, a lifelike world is fleshed out and more players can enter into this world. Why not dive into the various choices and live out the extravagant amount of various storylines alongside us!"

On December 27th, 2019 the Hotel Concierge was the fourth character revealed, played by Yuki Kaji. In his casting announcement, Kaji posted the following statement: "I felt that this content can deliver an experience that allows players to feel something new by combining the appeal of games and dramas together. The role that I played as the concierge was a kind of character that was integral to the story. I was honored to be assigned such an important role. I would be happy if the expressive power of my voice also added to the role I played in this project." . Producer Shinsuke Umeda added: "He remembered long lines almost perfectly and was really cool when performing them. It was scary how professional he was! Not only was his voice good, but his acting was also great! This role felt like one that only Yuki Kaji could do!"

On January 5th, 2020 Nene Kurushima was the fifth character revealed, played by Chihiro Yamamoto. In her casting announcement, Yamamoto commented: "It was a great honor to join everyone in this new world setting that had never been tried by anyone before. Also, it was a fun and fresh experience to act as a character that I had no experience with before personally. As a single player experience, this game is a real thrill. I hope everyone will give it a try!"

On January 10th, 2020 Kenichi Mino was the sixth character revealed, played by Jiro Sato. In his casting announcement, Sato commented: "It is really a new endeavor to combine a movie and a game as this project has done this time. However, with regards to the "acting" part of this project, I performed with the same feelings as I would when shooting a normal movie or drama. The finished product will be exciting. I hope that everyone will enjoy it on a variety of platforms." . Producer Shinsuke Umeda commented: "Jiro's acting and talking on-set always made me laugh so hard. I think it would be a waste to not use those scenes, so I hope they can be still released to everyone little by little, even outside the game. Kenichi Mino is awesome."

Marketing
The game was first announced on December 8th, 2019 with the launch of an official website and Twitter page featuring obscured portraits of the main cast members and a 48hr countdown. At the end of the countdown the first character - protagonist Makoto Karaki was revealed, with each of the six main characters revealed one at a time after additional countdowns, ending with the final character reveal on January 10th, 2020. The game's first trailer featuring in-game footage was released on December 14th, 2019 and Masafumi Takada was confirmed as the game's composer. On January 20, 2020 the second trailer was released, featuring a new track by composer Masafumi Takada and clips of all six members of the fully revealed main cast.

On February 6th, 2020, the "Death Come True Production Presentation Event" was held at Shinjuku Wald 9 in Tokyo, Japan. Directors Kazutaka Kodaka and Hayato Ando, producer Shinsuke Umeda, and actors Kanata Hongo, Chiaki Kuriyama, Win Morisaki, Yuki Kaji, and Chihiro Yamamoto appeared on stage at the event to give a presentation and Q&A session. The presentation confirmed the game's release date to be scheduled in June 2020, with a price point of ¥1900, and launched the third official trailer.