Funimation recently announced it will co-produce a television anime adaptation of the popular JRPG franchise The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel in a global collaboration with UserJoy, SYOU and NADA, set for release in 2022.
Originally announced in a livestream celebrating game developer Nihon Falcom's 40th anniversary, UserJoy's Any Liu confirmed that the upcoming anime series will tell a new original story set in the western part of Zemuria, which is also the setting of the Trails of Cold Steel game series. He further confirmed audience members will not be expected to be familiar with the game's premise or any of the game's storylines. As such, the new anime series can be enjoyed by both newcomers and fans of the game franchise alike.
"We hope that everyone, not only the fans that are familiar with the game, but also those who are not, can enjoy the new story that has never been told before with unique characters from the 'Kiseki' series," Liu said.
In addition to the new anime series, Liu also announced that a video game counterpart based on the anime storyline is in development.
The Legend of Heroes game franchise originated in the 1980s as part of the Dragon Slayer JRPG series. In the decades that followed, various other JRPG series have expanded The Legend of Heroes franchise, including the Trails series that started in 2004. Trails of Cold Steel is one of the games in the Trails series, along with Trails in the Sky and the Kiseki game series.
The first installment of Trails of Cold Steel launched in Japan in 2013 with its sequel, Trails of Cold Steel II, coming out the following year. Trails of Cold Steel III was subsequently released in Japan in 2017, with its final installment releasing the following year. The storyline for the Trails of Cold Steel game series follows a military academy student for the Erebonian Empire named Rean Schwarzer, who gets involved in a class war between the Empire's nobles and working class. It is unknown at this time if Rean Schwartzer will also be the protagonist of the upcoming anime series or if the story will focus on a different character from the games as Liu suggested.
Developed by Nihon Falcom, the first three installments of the Trails of Cold Steel game series are currently available in the United States on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC. The fourth installment is currently available in the U.S. on PlayStation 4, with upcoming Nintendo Switch and PC versions set to be released on April 9.
Source: Funimation