The Ace Attorney series celebrates its 20th anniversary today, and while it may not be as financially lucrative as some of Capcom’s other IPs, such as Monster Hunter and Resident Evil, it remains one of the company’s most notable and beloved franchises. While the series has had a few dry spells in its history, the future still looks promising for Ace Attorney fans.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, a duology of games that were originally Japanese exclusives and many thought would never see the light of day in the West, was released this year. And, while there is no sign of an entirely new Ace Attorney game, Capcom is aware of the series’ popularity and considers Ace Attorney important enough to commemorate its anniversary in some way.
As of today, there is a website dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Ace Attorney. It’s only in Japanese, so Western fans will need to use Google Translate or be able to read Japanese to read it. Still, it essentially consists of a celebratory message from the development team, the full list of games and where to buy them, and information about a few projects Capcom has planned for the anniversary.
The first is an art exhibition called Capcom vs. Osamu Tezuka Characters, which displays art of various Capcom characters done by Tezuka Productions (the animation studio founded by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka) and Capcom art of Tezuka characters. The anniversary will feature new Ace Attorney illustrations, but it will unfortunately only be held in Japan.
Second, Capcom’s online store will sell merchandise featuring new art by illustrator Yusuke Nakamura and art director/character designer Kazuya Nuri. The first piece features a stylized depiction of Ace Attorney protagonist Phoenix Wright and his prosecutor rival Miles Edgeworth, as well as Maya Fey and Franziska von Karma. The second depicts the main cast of the Great Ace Attorney games, with Phoenix’s ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo in the foreground, surrounded by friends and allies.
They will be available on November 19th and December 17th, respectively, but quantities are limited, and Capcom will only accept pre-orders until October 31st. On the plus side, the Capcom store does ship internationally, so die-hard Western fans who are willing to pay the necessary fees can get their hands on the artwork.
There is also a History section, which is likely to cover the series’ history since its inception in 2001. However, the section is incomplete, consisting of only images of Phoenix, Edgeworth, Ryunosuke, and Apollo Justice, as well as a “coming soon” message.
The website does not indicate whether Capcom is currently working on a new Ace Attorney game. However, a major Capcom leak from last year revealed another Ace Attorney collection that includes the fourth, fifth, and sixth mainline games, as well as Ace Attorney 7 being in development. The same leak revealed Capcom’s plans to localize The Great Ace Attorney, so fans are hoping that the rest of the rumored Ace Attorney plans are correct.
