The creator of Fairy Tail wants a game based on his manga series, and he's willing to pay to make it happen.
Per Crunchyroll, manga creator Hiro Mashima is offering 10 million yen (about $90,000 USD) to the indie developer who can create the best pitch for a Fairy Tail video game. Publisher Kodansha Game Creators Lab has added another 5 million yen (approximately $45,000 USD) to the prize pool as well, and has promised to support the winner of the contest in developing the game. Mashima is an outspoken Monster Hunter addict and hardcore gamer, and has stated that he doesn't care what type of game people come up with, he just wants it to be good. ""RPGs, action games, platformers, Simulation, visual novels, FPS, puzzles, cards, whatever. Metroidvania and sandbox games can look interesting too. Zombie games are fine as well," Mashima said, adding "It doesn't even matter how small the game is." The only conditions for the project are that it must be able to be developed within a year, should target iOS and Android as its primary platforms, and developers must agree to hand the rights to the game over to Kodansha, who will eventually publish the title. Kodansha has opened a website for the competition so that indie developers can submit their pitches directly.
Fairy Tail was first published in 2006 and tells the story of Natsu Dragneel, a young wizard who was trained in the art of dragon slaying by his adoptive father, Igneel, who is a dragon himself. After Igneel disappears without warning one day, Natsu decides to travel the world to look for him. The manga ran for 63 volumes and concluded its serialization in 2017. The series is Mashima's biggest hit to date, with over 70 million copies in circulation worldwide. The manga was originally adapted to anime by A-1 Pictures and studio Satelight, which is also known for its work on Macross Frontier and Sakugan. This first anime series ran from 2009 - 2013, and was followed up with a second series, which was produced by Shaman King studio Bridge in 2014. The third and most recent run of the series, which aired from 2018 - 2019, once again changed animation studios, this time shifting production to CloverWorks, the company that produced the anime adaptation of The Promised Neverland and the original series Wonder Egg Priority.
In addition to Fairy Tale, Mashima is also known for creating the Rave Master series. Mashima is currently working on the popular Edens Zero sci-fi manga, which began publication in 2018 and premiered the first season of its anime adaptation earlier this year.
The Fairy Tail anime can be streamed from Hulu, Funimation and Crunchyroll. The manga is available in English from Kodansha USA.
Source: Comic Natalie, via Crunchyroll