Talking to Gamasutra as part of an in-depth new interview, Treasure CEO Masato Maegawa has revealed that Microsoft asked it to remake classic shoot'em-up Radiant Silvergun for XBLA -- though Treasure hasn't yet decided whether to do it.
Originally released to arcades and the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1998 Radiant Silvergun was the precursor to Treasure's other revered shoot'em-up, Ikaruga.
Though the game never saw a Western release, it has developed its own cult following, part of its appeal owing to its expensive import pricing and rarity, but also due to its unique weapons systems, which forgoes power-ups in favor of offering seven different weapons accessible at any time.
With the popularity of downloadable console games, Maegawa reflects on the possibilities of re-releasing Radiant Silvergun on a console service, commenting, "I think we'd definitely like to see it out there. But the situation around that game is a bit different from Ikaruga, so I don't know if we'd see it on [Xbox Live]."
"Microsoft actually asked us if we could put it out," he says. "We're thinking about it, certainly, but it's not as simple as just saying 'OK, let's put it up.' I mean, sure, with Ikaruga, we released it as-is without having to do or add a great deal to the game, and it was popular and well accepted for what it was."
"But if you play Radiant Silvergun nowadays, it's certainly aged in assorted ways, and I'm not sure they're all good," he adds, laughing.
You can read the full Treasure interview with CEO Masato Maegawa on the company's future and celebrated releases, like Bangai-O and Ikaruga (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from other websites).
There are so damn many fantastic Saturn games that deserve to be played, but the difficulty of Saturn emulation might be the biggest obstacle. There's such a huge catalog I want so badly to see on PSN/XBLA, not to mention that plethora of fantastic Dreamcast games.
Why oh why did I sell my Saturn and Dreamcast so long ago? What a mistake.
I know what you mean Jesse. I know little about Saturn emulation, but I'm surprised 14 years later we don't have an emulator thats reliable. Ironically Dreamcast emulation is much much better. I think once I get a better job I'm going to pick up both systems again just for fun.
the best Saturn engine got turned commercial - Sega bought it and uses it for ports like Princess Crown for the PSP. It's the old Giri Giri engine, which is why you don't see it around anymore.
Why oh why did I sell my Saturn and Dreamcast so long ago? What a mistake.