Namco Gets It Some Afro Samurai
The gritty manga series is getting the game treatment, you say? Survey says yes.
Published: August 30, 2005
Look, samurais are cool, and we'll be damned if you find someone who says differently. Namco Hometek definitely knows it, as the company today acquired the rights from Japanese animation studio GDH K.K. for the Takashi Okazaki manga series, Afro Samurai. And not just for one videogame, but two over the next five years.
"Afro Samurai is a visually striking and rich story," raves Jeff Lujan, business director at Namco Hometek Inc. "With its gritty and unique mix of hip-hop and samurai styling, Afro Samurai is perfectly suited for video games. We are looking forward to working with GDH in bringing this exciting new property to life."
So what exactly is the story of this hip-hoppin' samurai? Afro Samurai tells the tale of Afro, a determined warrior who seeks vengeance on he who killed his father in cold blood, a murder witnessed by his own two eyes. Merciless and stolid, enemies come as they may, he will stop at nothing to hunt down the said immortal killer through their disjointed dystopia and fulfill his revenge.
In related and surprisingly cool news, an Afro Samurai animated mini-series in its pre-production stages, as well as an upcoming feature film, will Samuel L. Jackson to star as the title character (lead voice actor for the series cartoon) and co-producer. We knew you had it in you, Sammy.
The Afro Samurai game is set to launch in conjunction with the animated series, comics and live-action movie... whenever that may be. We'll keep you updated.
"Afro Samurai is a visually striking and rich story," raves Jeff Lujan, business director at Namco Hometek Inc. "With its gritty and unique mix of hip-hop and samurai styling, Afro Samurai is perfectly suited for video games. We are looking forward to working with GDH in bringing this exciting new property to life."
So what exactly is the story of this hip-hoppin' samurai? Afro Samurai tells the tale of Afro, a determined warrior who seeks vengeance on he who killed his father in cold blood, a murder witnessed by his own two eyes. Merciless and stolid, enemies come as they may, he will stop at nothing to hunt down the said immortal killer through their disjointed dystopia and fulfill his revenge.
In related and surprisingly cool news, an Afro Samurai animated mini-series in its pre-production stages, as well as an upcoming feature film, will Samuel L. Jackson to star as the title character (lead voice actor for the series cartoon) and co-producer. We knew you had it in you, Sammy.
The Afro Samurai game is set to launch in conjunction with the animated series, comics and live-action movie... whenever that may be. We'll keep you updated.
