The Ace Attorney franchise, which usually focuses on one Phoenix Wright but has spun off into other titles as well, has always been one of the most uniquely successful game series ever. It was meant to be just three games, but soon became 6 in the main timeline, had two spinoffs about fan-favorite character Miles Edgeworth, a prequel set well before the franchise ever began, an anime, and much more. Fans (like us here at The Outerhaven) have been looking forward to the 7th game in the franchise that was rumored to be coming out to Nintendo Switch. But now, we have news that might set that back.
Takeshi Yamazaki, who has been with the Ace Attorney franchise since the beginning and helped usher in the “new era” via titles like Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice has officially left Capcom. This comes from various sources including a Phoenix Wright focused Twitter handle who quoted and translated Yamazaki’s own departure notice:
He says he'll be continuing to work in game development, but also be taking on new challenges.
Best of luck to Yamazaki-san in his new endeavors, and many thanks for his work on the series over the years!
— Court-Records (@CourtRecords_) July 11, 2020
The reason for his departure is hard to say, though it should be noted that this is the 3rd major departure from Capcom in recent times.
The real question here is what will be of Ace Attorney now? The games had a remaster of the first three Phoenix Wright games on Switch and other systems last year and it was a big hit. And as anyone who has played Spirit of Justice knows, it teases a major story thread coming to a head after a VERY long time waiting.
So with Yamazaki gone, what does this mean for the Law Offices of Phoenix Wright & Co?