In a recent investor chat with Zbigniew Dębicki we learn that Panzer Dragoon: Remake PC is expected to happen this year, the game is confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake goes according to plan.
On Friday, 14 August 2020, an investor chat was held with Zbigniew Dębicki, the CEO of Forever Entertainment. Almost 1100 people took part in the meeting, and Zbigniew Dębicki answered nearly 90 questions. I’ve used DeepL to translate the questions which should be of interest to Panzer Dragoon fans. The full Polish language chat can be found on Strefa Inwestorów.
Natalia: Is the company planning to present its productions at this year’s Gamescom? If so, what titles will we see?
Zbigniew Dębicki: No, our most important titles will be shown in a different formula. Similarly to the announcement of Panzer Dragoon: Remake we want it to take place with the right “momentum”.
Riki: Panzer Dragoon: Remake, when will you debut on Steam?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Soon…
Gość: Is the Company still planning to release Panzer Dragoon: Remake on PC? This item does not appear in the “Premieres” tab on the Company’s website - has the idea been abandoned in connection with the release of the game dedicated to Google Stadia?
Zbigniew Dębicki: We are still planning the premiere of Panzer Dragoon: Remake on PC. What more can I “whisper”… that it will certainly happen this year. We will inform about the exact date of the premiere in a separate announcement.
Gość: What stage is the work on Panzer Dragoon II Zwei game? Remake? Will the game also be a temporary exclusive for the Nintendo Switch console?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake goes according to plan.
Gość: Is the company currently conducting talks with new partners on the potential release of new titles in the remake version?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Constantly! Panzer Dragoon’s success: The remake accelerated many discussions (e.g.: the recently signed Shadowgate license), and also made it possible to obtain new, extremely exciting licenses, which due to the importance of IP were not previously considered by us at this stage of development. I hope to be able to boast of concrete contracts by the end of this year. Of course in the form of this report :-)
Anonymous Guest: In what time horizon does the Company settle the license costs associated with the sale of Panzer Dragoon - will the costs incurred in Q2 have a material impact on the result of Q3, or was the shift of part of the costs between quarters in H1 associated with the release of the game in the last week of Q1?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Settlement of licenses and revenue share (RS) from sales in Q2 should not have a significant impact on Q3 results, due to, among other things, more “flat” sales in the following months of Q2 itself. The premiere of Smoka and sales in the last week of Q1 had a decisive impact on the increase in the cost of license and RS settlement in Q2.
Anonymous Guest: Were the proceeds from “milestones” for the preparation of Panzer Dragoon: Remake (and potentially The House of the Dead: Remake) for the Google Stadia platform a significant component of the Company’s revenue in H1’2020?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Due to the agreement with Google we do not provide such information.
Anonim Adi: When you can expect the first trailers from Panzer Dragoon Zwei or HD remake alternatively there may be some photo from production. You can specify the estimated time with bread ;]
Zbigniew Dębicki: This is not an ordinary bread but Turbo Bread 2000 (gold-plated and with leds), and this one has to be presented with proper stage setting. At this moment I can’t write anything else but that such presentation will take place…
Adi: According to my calculations Panzer Dragoon: Remake on Xbox One and PS4 should appear in September and on PC December ;]
Zbigniew Dębicki: My calculations are different :o Certainly Panzer Dragoon: Remake will come out on the platforms mentioned by you by the end of this year.
Tomasz Ślęzak: What is the probability (small, medium, large) of publishing Panzer Dragoon Zwei by the end of this year?
Zbigniew Dębicki: I cannot provide this information at this time. With such a large IP, many partners are involved in making this decision. As you can see from the example of Panzer Dragoon: Remake, postponing the premiere and combining it with the Nintendo conference worked great.
Gość: How much has Panzer Dragoon earned so far? The results do not show that the game was a success?
Zbigniew Dębicki: The game generated a net profit even before its premiere, so we can definitely call it a success.
Gość: What about the third quarter? Will the main game launches be moved again? Can you guarantee your word that the schedule will be kept?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Our premiere schedule contains indicative information about when a particular game less should have a premiere, so I wouldn’t call it a “schedule”. Ultimately, the release date is set with our partners in such a way as to maximize the chances of success, and this is influenced by many factors. Game launches are often postponed due to the fact that at a given date, for example: a similar game of the competition comes out.
ZIZ: Did the income from Panzer Dragoon cover the cost of the licence fee - is this op.l. a one-off amount, so will further income from Panzer Dragoon be without this burden?
Zbigniew Dębicki: License fees or revenue share are charged from the sale of each title in accordance with the concluded agreements. These are fees calculated from the sales made.
Snadek: Hello. I have a question about obtaining a license for Panzer Dragoon Saga? Are you already negotiating?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Secret/confidential ;-)
Snadek: Hello! Are you considering working with Yukio Futatsugi? The next part of Panzer Dragoon?
Zbigniew Dębicki: We cooperated with Panzer Dragoon: Remake.
Natalie: Will Panzer Dragoon: Remake be released this year for the new generation of consoles?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Due to the agreements concluded, I cannot comment on this at this time…
Pit: Is there a chance that the Panzer Dragoon Saga will also be developed by Forever?
Zbigniew Dębicki: …
Seb: What is the estimated profit from Panzer Dragoon after license counting?
Zbigniew Dębicki: We do not make such information public.
Matthew: Good morning. What are the company’s plans for the next generation of consoles? Are there any more games you’re running on this equipment?
Zbigniew Dębicki: Surely Panzer Dragoon: Remake will come on both new platforms.
Alan: Probably in November this year new generation consoles - PS5 and XSX - will debut, can you indicate what titles the FOR will release for these platforms in 2021?
Zbigniew Dębicki: At this moment I can only confirm Panzer Dragoon: Remake. The rest has not been officially announced yet.
There have been reports floating around for a while now that Panzer Dragoon: Remake would arrive on next generation consoles, so it’s great to see this confirmed directly from the CEO of Forever Entertainment.