It's been a long time since the last Sakura Wars game. The fourth main game in the series, Sakura Wars: So Long My Love, was originally released in Japan in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and was released in the west on PS2 and Nintendo Wii in 2010. However, a combination of poor reviews and subpar sales figures meant that Sega had to put the series on ice for a while. Until now!

At the recent Sega Fes event, a new project known as Project Sakura Wars (working title) was announced. It seems to be a continuation of the last game's story, and it features character designs by Tite Kubo of Bleach fame. Check out the trailer here.

For the uninitiated, Sakura Wars is set in Japan during a fictionalised version of the Taisho period (1912-1926) with advanced steampunk-esque technology. Gameplay-wise, the series is typically a cross between a tactical RPG and a dating sim, where interacting with characters in between missions affects their abilities during the battle sequences where they face off against demons and other enemies. The main cast consists of several all-female attack squads with anti-demon powers who work undercover at theaters across the world. The series has also inspired a number of OVAs, an anime series, an animated movie, a manga, several light novels, some stage plays and it even had its own store with a cafe in Tokyo that shut down in 2008.

Project Sakura Wars will be released on PS4 later this year in Japan, with a worlwide release scheduled for 2020. Are you an old fan of the series? Will you be keeping tabs on the new project? Let us know in the comments.