When Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc was released outside of Japan in 2014, it instantly became a cult classic, charming the world with a colorfully eccentric cast and mind-bending murder mysteries. The series has exploded in popularity since then, finding success on various platforms and surpassing 10 million units worldwide as of the end of 2025. Each entry has its loyal fans (v3 is my personal favorite), but in the social circles I am in, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is the most revered. Over a decade later, the upcoming Danganronpa 2x2 is taking the beloved sophomore entry and rebuilding it for the latest gaming systems. However, the biggest surprise was the inclusion of a brand-new scenario, utilizing the settings and characters as a base to craft an alternative narrative with remixed victims, killers, and murder methods.
During Spike Chunsoft’s Anime Expo panel, new details were unveiled regarding the highly anticipated title. From showing off the revamped character art, environments, and UI, to gameplay tweaks with the world map, these freshen up a familiar experience. Of course, all eyes were on the new story content. Now titled Slayhem Mode, this storyline can be selected from the get-go, though it is recommended to complete the original scenario first. Most surprising was the scope of the mode, which is estimated to be 20% longer than the original story. During Anime Expo, was able to talk to series creator Kazutaka Kodaka and the game’s producer Shohei Sakakibara regarding their vision for Slayhem and the rest of the project.
What was the writing process like? Balancing staying true to the characters, addressing fan feedback on the original work, while also sticking to your vision for this new story?
Kodaka: The roster in 2x2 and also the location of Jabberwock Island is pretty much exactly the same. What we did for 2x2 was instead focused on what happens there, like the cases. Other things got added here and there, but to be true to the original, like with the main cast, those haven’t been changed. You can imagine the second round or second mode of 2x2 as like the second time through of a Werewolf game. Totally different cases, things happening completely differently from the original scenario. That is what the second mode is all about.
I like how you compare it to a second round of a Werewolf game, because one of the biggest surprises was the reveal that the size of this scenario exceeds the original title. Was this concept always the intended scope of the Slayhem route, or did this balloon naturally over time?
Kodaka: Everyone in Danganronpa 2 is very unique and has their own established character. When I started writing stuff for each of them, it just kept going and going and going. Some stuff I couldn’t fit in the original. All the tricks in the cases have evolved from [Danganronpa] 1, 2, and v3. So 2x2 will be that extension. It’s not going to be more difficult, but will be very involving. To maximize that feature, we needed to extend the volume of the second mode.
When looking at the staff list, what I found most noteworthy is how the scenario writer is Yoichiro Koizumi. As someone unfamiliar with a lot of his works besides his routes in Hundred Line [Conspiracy, Romance] and Shuten Order [Ministry of Health], what are his strengths as a writer you admire?
Kodaka: We alongside Takekuni Kitayama, who is the author of the Danganronpa Kirigiri prequel novels, came up with the overall plot concept and tricks. Koizumi has been working with me since [Danganronpa] Ultra Despair Girls and all the way through from there on in the series, so he’s very well versed in each of the characters and their portrayals. I place my full trust in Koizumi, and on top of that, whatever he writes, I check. I have no worries whatsoever. He was involved with the writing of all the death games in Shuten Order, and I knew that Koizumi was moving on to 2x2 right afterwards. In essence, Shuten Order was like a warm-up mode.
The hardware transition from Danganronpa 2 to V3 had the series jump from the PSP into the Vita and PS4. Now, with a 2x2, the franchise has transitioned to modern platforms. For a series known for its depiction of over-the-top violence and gore, what opportunities has the transition in hardware opened up?
Sakakibara: With the current consoles, we approached 2x2 by building on top of what we could do with Danganronpa 2. All the assets have been rebuilt. The resort hotel and the overworld received 3D overhauls. Character portraits have been updated and pretty much been redrawn from scratch [in addition to being able to move].
Regarding the overhaul of the world map, will the gameplay within the trial portions also receive similar quality-of-life tweaks as well? In addition, will those changes also be in the original game?
Sakakibara: For Slayhem, please wait for future announcements. For the original, we’re sticking to how the original gameplay was, but revamping all the graphics, of course.
Diving as much as you can, how did the name Slayhem come into fruition for 2x2’s new route?
Kodaka: Slayhem is the English name we came up with, but in Japan it's called Kyoki Mode. It’s written in katakana, but one of the ways it can be interpreted is “insanity”. There are additional meanings to it, but we would like everyone to play the game and discover them for themselves.
Finally, the most important question of all. A question fans are dying to know: because Slayhem will have different tricks for the murder methods, will Hajime get a chance to learn that an octagon has eight sides?
Kodaka: (Laughter) Since Slayhem mode has different cases, we can’t really say if it will have octagons or not. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
Guess we will have to wait to find out if the eight-sided polygon will make its glorious return alongside the rest of the DR2 cast. Danganronpa 2x2 is projected to release in early 2027 on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC. Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more coverage on Danganronpa and other Spike Chunsoft titles.
Thanks to Kodaka and Sakakibara for their time, and Spike Chunsoft for organizing this interview.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
