Nobunaga's Ambition: Shutsujin, a new AR spinoff of the popular historical strategy game franchise, is set to launch in the near future

Koei Tecmo has announced a new mobile spin-off of their incredibly popular strategy game series Nobunaga’s Ambition. Titled Shutsujin, this one will be an alternate reality game based on geo-location, which is an interesting spin on what has traditionally been a top-down management strategic war simulation series.

Nobunaga’s Ambition is a series that you may have not heard of, despite how much of a dedicated fan base it has built up. It’s a bit of a cult classic sort of deal, with mainly Southeast Asian markets making up the bulk of the players, but it is one that has been running since - and this is not an exaggeration of any kind - 1983. That’s right - this is a franchise that runs all the way back to the days of personal computers being a rare sight.

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And now, with Shutsujin, the game is finally expanding to mobile markets, albeit in a very different form. Nobunaga’s Ambition has always been a game heavy on strategy and warfare simulation, but Shutsujin is now branching out into the AR market for mobile devices. This means that the game will take place entirely within your own world, having you walk around your surroundings and engage with them to progress.

Gameplay-wise, it actually sounds extremely cool. You’ll head your own clan of warriors, and the world around you will be divided into territories that you’ll have to wage war against to control. Despite how different it may seem, the mechanics do feature things found in the games, such as castle towns, alliances, and those strategic battles.

If turning your own city into a personal sengoku-era battlefield sounds as cool to you as it does to me, you can check out the official website for more information. Currently, Shutsujin is only confirmed for a Japanese release, but let’s all hope we see it go global at some point after its currently unconfirmed release date.