Back in 2001, the original Fatal Frame taught us that a mundane practice like photography can be turned into an incredibly unsettling experience. The series has continued to haunt gamers for over a decade, and will continue do do so with a new installment on the Wii U.
While neither release date nor title have been announced, a translation from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (via Gematsu) revealed that Tecmo Koei is currently developing a new Fatal Frame title for the Wii U. Along with the new game, Tecmo Koei is planning a series of mixed-media projects for the Fatal Frame property. Overall, a new comic book, novel, live-action film, and a new video game will be produced in Tecmo Koei’s long-run Fatal Frame IP-expansion. The comic will be handled by writer Shin Kibayashi, of Psycho Busters and Detective School Q fame. The novel is set to release sometime this August, and is written by author Eiji Otsuka, writer of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.
The film will be a live-action adaptation of the Fatal Frame series, and is directed by Mari Asato, director of Ju-on: Black Ghost and Samurai Chicks. Again, no actual release dates were given. As this report originates from Famitsu, it’s uncertain if any of these projects will be localized.
Last year, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly and Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented were both released on PSN as PlayStation 2 Classic titles. The fourth installment of the saga, Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen/Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and directed by Goichi Suda (“Suda 51”), but sadly was never localized.
With the next Fatal Frame being a Wii U title, it’s possible that the interface may be reminiscent of the 3DS title Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, in that the player controls the camera with the Wii U Gamepad.