Atelier Yumia Producer on What’s New in the Long-Running JRPG Franchise’s Next Entry

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 21, 2025 7 Views 13 Min Read
Atelier Yumia Producer on What’s New in the Long-Running JRPG Franchise’s Next Entry
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As it approaches its 30th anniversary, the long-running Atelier JRPG franchise may be nearing a true renaissance. First revealed with a trailer in August 2024, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land hinted at some big changes in the series’ next entry, teasing a darker story and fresh synthesis and battle mechanics. The 26th title in the franchise focuses on the theme of “memory,” with protagonist Yumia Liessfeldt, a practitioner of the taboo art of alchemy, tasked with uncovering how the vast Aladissian Empire met its end.

Given the massive popularity of the Atelier Ryza games, expectations are high for the next installment of the JRPG series from developer Gust. Over the years, the company has asked fans to provide feedback on past entries via surveys and social media posts, prompting many to wonder what player-submitted content will appear in the next title. In an interview with Game Rant, Junzo Hosoi, the Head of Gust and Producer on Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, offered more concrete details about what players can expect when the game is released on March 21, 2025. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

New Additions to the Atelier Franchise

Q: The core systems of the game include exploration, synthesis, and combat. These are staples of the Atelier franchise, of course, but can players expect any new additions to these systems in Atelier Yumia?

A: Beyond exploration, synthesis, and battle, we’ve also added a new building mechanic where players can create their own atelier while also being able to create their own furnishings and decorations. While exploring, you can collect various building materials from the field, and those aren’t the same materials you’ll use for synthesis. When you build your own atelier and add furniture like the synthesis table, you will be able to increase the comfort level inside, which will lead to bonuses during gameplay such as doing synthesis during fast travel. Depending on what you build, the effects will be different. You can even build a dressing room to change costumes.

Q: The main character gives off a very different vibe when compared to other recent protagonists like Ryza and Lulua, and the tone of the game seems to have shifted towards something darker and away from the standard lighthearted fare. Were you concerned about longtime fans of the series being thrown off by the changes this new entry makes?

A: The visuals and vibe have shifted, but once you start playing, you also feel the Atelier charm through the characters and story. When we released the first game in the Atelier Ryza series, we saw similar reactions as people weren’t quite sure what to expect due to the change in the way the character was presented. But once players started getting to know the characters, and once they started to get to know Ryza, their opinions changed. When you look at Yumia and her character design, I think it’s the white and black visuals that may have led people to assume the story is darker, but it isn’t necessarily what you think. Once you get to know Yumia, you’ll realize she is more like the other characters from previous Atelier games than you first thought.

Atelier Yumia interview

Q: Atelier Yumia will feature a villain, something not common for the series. What spurred that decision?

A: We wanted to portray a more human side to the story, including more background for various characters, and to do that best, we felt we needed to add a villain. As you said, we didn’t have a villain in previous Atelier games, but we thought it made for a better story with Yumia by not only seeing from her point of view but also by understanding more of the story and why certain characters hate each other. In recent Atelier surveys and social media comments related to past games, players thought that not having a villain was a weak point in the overall story, so we added it to the game to make the storyline stronger and make you care for the characters on a deeper level.

Q: The theme of this game is “memory.” Personally, how has your past in the industry–including your failures–impacted your work on Atelier Yumia and the series as a whole?

A: The biggest influence on the story and the theme of memory is actually more personal. My father was diagnosed with a brain tumor and as time went on, he didn’t have his memories anymore, but his movements helped me feel his love for me. Your inner self and your memories grow up together, so even if your memory is gone, you still have the love you gave and the love you’re given, and those realizations helped inspire Yumia’s story.

Atelier Yumia interview

Q: The game features a ton of unique and unfamiliar characters. If you had to choose, who is your personal favorite?

A: Although there are a lot of fun characters in the game, my favorite is Yumia. The initial concept for Yumia’s design came from both myself and the artist Benitama, but it went through a lot of changes throughout development. While Yumia was the first design we came up with, she was actually the last character to get her final design. I spent so much time with her throughout development that I feel closer to her as a character. Now, when you look at her, you can see that she’s not only stylish but incredibly cool. She has a staff that enables her to shoot. She has a motorcycle. She even has these cool boots that help her double jump to reach secret areas. When you see her in the game, you can’t help but look at her and think how cool of a character she has become.

Q: Can players expect world quests and episodes for each character in addition to the main story?

A: There will be character quests as you add various members to your team, and we’ve gone through a lot of effort to add character stories and backgrounds so you can learn key things about their past. Other than the main story, there are lots of other ways to have fun.

Developing Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land

Atelier Yumia interview

Q: Atelier Yumia is the first in the “Envisioned” sub-series. What is your vision for this series as a whole?

A: Depending on how well Atelier Yumia is received, we will see if we can continue with Yumia and her series. We hope that a lot of people will purchase and play Atelier Yumia so we can make this a new series.

Q: What was the most difficult part of this development process, either from a technical perspective or a creative perspective?

A: Since this is a totally new game in the Atelier series, it’s been the biggest development we’ve ever undertaken for an Atelier game. The difficulty level was dispersed throughout every aspect of development because of how big the game is and where we’re trying to bring the Atelier series. The open fields and real-time battles changed a lot, and those are the areas that took the most time for us to get right.

Atelier Yumia interview

Q: When developing Atelier Yumia, was there any particular fan feedback that influenced the team?

A: Before we started developing the game, we actually made a file with all the fan feedback from players of the previous Atelier games. This is why we added the villain. Past games just told a simple story about the protagonist and her friends, but once you add bad guys, you can have a much bigger and more complex narrative.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with fans excited about playing Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land?

A: This is not just a new Atelier game–it’s the game we hope will bring the series to the next level. We’ve prepared a lot of new experiences, but we feel like if you’ve never played a game in the Atelier series before, this is the perfect game to start with. It features a completely new story, so we hope everyone, whether you’re a longtime fan of Atelier or completely new to the series, will feel the Yumia’s charm.

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