Hardcore action game fans are well aware that Platinum Games is hard at work on both Astral Chain and Babylon’s Fall, but the legendary game developer surprised fans today with the announcement of Chief Executive Omni-Weapon Ken-Ichi, their latest and greatest game which also happens to have their company’s CEO in the starring role as the titular Omni-Weapon. It’s definitely not an April Fool’s joke. Definitely not.
From what we can tell from the trailer, Chief Executive Omni-Weapon Ken-Ichi is about taking lives and money in some kind of strange business simulation game. Also, this business somehow involves a suit of high-tech biomechanical armor with a rocket booster in its butt. Promising “high stakes business simulation action”, Chief Executive Omni-Weapon Ken-Ichi is looking to be the next generation of business simulation games that will blow stuff like Offworld Trading Company clear out of the water.
If it isn’t obvious from the sheer absurdity of the title, Chief Executive Omni-Weapon Ken-Ichi is an extremely well-crafted April Fool’s joke from the gaming studio best known for games in the Bayonetta and NieR franchises. The trailer certainly doesn’t fail to impress and that probably has a lot to do with the number of people involved in the project; 16 talented people are credited with creating this visual masterpiece that honestly doesn’t look all that out of place for a PlatinumGames title.
As with many other April Fools jokes we’re seeing today, a number of fans on Twitter have expressed their interest in seeing this developed into an actual product. It’s weird and it’s silly, but so is a statuesque witch with hair for clothes and guns in her shoes. It’s terribly unlikely that they’d actually make this anytime soon considering their existing workload, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a CEO become the face of the business in such a prominent way.
After all, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has had no problem hopping into the squared circle of professional wrestling over the years and it’s only a matter of time before a game developer CEO does the same in a video game. For now, you can watch the Chief Executive Omni-Weapon Ken-Ichi trailer for yourself below.
