New 2D Castlevania Coming on DS, Possibly 360

In an interview with Game Informer, famed Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi revealed Konami is already "well into development" on a third 2D sidescroller title for the DS. Igarashi also said he's interested in making an Xbox 360 sidescrolling Castlevania title with 3D visuals in the vein of the upcoming Castlevania: Rondo of Blood PSP remake--Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. "I would like to see how the PSP version will be accepted in the market before I make my decision. If this version is popular I would like to use the same technology for a home console game in the future," Igarashi said. Neither the DS game or the potential 360 title should be ports of existing Castlevania titles, as Igarashi specifies in the interview he thinks simple conversions--like the Xbox Live Arcade version of Igarashi's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night--are better suited as downloadable titles. Igarashi chose the Xbox 360 because of the system's large U.S. install base and the Castlevania series' relatively high popularity in the states. "The U.S. market is the biggest market for the Castlevania series, so I will give the first priority to the U.S. market," Igarashi said. "The platform will be the Xbox 360, since the PS3 isnÂ’t doing well everywhere in the world." The developer said an announcement on the DS version would be coming in the near future. As a side note, the Game Informer interview erroneously labels Igarashi as the "Castlevania series creator." His Castlevania career actually began as an assistant director for 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which marked a dramatic turn in the direction of the franchise.