Atelier Sophie 2 Interview With Junzo Hosoi About the Future of the Series

With Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream releasing on February 25, 2022, it’s safe to say that fans have a lot of questions about what’s to come. However, with our opportunity to interview series producer Junzo Hosoi, we decided to ask a few unique questions.

Enough of this intro, though, let’s get to the interview.

Azario Lopez: Sophie and Plachta have rarely been seen apart throughout the Mysterious series. Does separating them in this adventure allow you to explore new sides of Sophie’s personality?

Junzo Hosoi: Sophie’s friend Plachta is both her alchemy teacher and her family. As she has to part ways with Plachta, the player will get to see her experience a wide variety of different emotions. Look forward to seeing many of these emotions from her for the first time, as Sophie becomes angry, brought to tears and panicked throughout the story.

AL: As someone who has worked on previous Atelier entries, what is it about this story that excites you for players to discover?

JH: Atelier Sophie 2 is set in a dream world in which characters from various different time periods make an appearance, and one in which an unexpected encounter is waiting for Sophie and her friends. Look forward to seeing how this encounter influences their growth and their future.

AL: Can you explain the process for creating a new Atelier story? Does your team have access to a bible of characters and lore that you stick by, or does this universe have no rules so you can do whatever you want?

JH: We start off by deciding on many general points such as the setting, what characters will make an appearance and where the protagonist will start out. Of course, all of these elements change quite a bit from game to game. Then we figure out what new systems to add or elements from past games to improve on. The way we build up the world has also become an established theory we utilize now.

AL: With the six-anniversary projects teased for 2022, would you say that fans can expect this to be a year of reunions or a year of new characters and stories?

JH: 2022 is the year of both reunions as well as new encounters. The “reunion” element of Atelier Sophie 2 acts as the start of this new year, and we have a lot of new projects we are preparing for the future. Please look forward to them.

AL: Would you ever consider expanding the Atelier series outside of the JRPG genre? I feel like you have enough characters to make a pretty cool 2D fighting game.

JH: We are always considering what kind of genre or type of game to make the next Atelier title, such as brand new titles and side-stories like Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists. Look forward to more announcements regarding this in the future!

AL: Do you think the Atelier series will ever receive an English dub in the west again? Since the Mysterious trilogy, this has been absent, and I’m wondering if it’ll ever return as an option.

JH: If we received requests from our fans, I would definitely like to consider implementing more language options in the future.

AL: Do you think there will be a possibility that a male protagonist could lead the charge for an Atelier adventure, similar to Logy?

JH: As the Atelier series is one in which a lot of different characters play a part in the story, I think there is definitely a good chance of that happening in the future.

AL: When thinking about the future of console hardware, how long do you expect to support last-gen consoles? Do you have a year in mind where you will make an Atelier game from the ground up on more powerful platforms such as the PS5 and Xbox Series X?

JH: This is something we continue to consider, but don’t quite have an answer for yet.

AL: Who are some of your favorite characters in the series that you’d like to expand on and create new stories for?

JH: I’d have to say Hagel or Pamela. However, outside of characters specifically, I often think about trying to create a title in a more modern era or one with a Japanese setting.

AL: Is there anything you’d like to tell fans awaiting the release of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream?

JH: The Atelier series is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and it’s all thanks to you, our dedicated fans.

As a continuation of the Mysterious series, which includes Atelier Sophie, Atelier Firis, and Atelier Lydie & Suelle, we are able to release Atelier Sophie 2. In contrast to the Secret series, the Atelier in this game is both nostalgic and new, so we hope everyone looks forward to a new story featuring Sophie and Plachta.

Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is coming to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC-via Steam on February 25, 2022.