Digital Extremes’ latest major content update for Warframe is a love letter to Japanese culture.
Announced at the recent Tokyo Game Show 2024, “Koumei & The Five Fates” brings the game’s 58th Warframe design to the 11-year-old title, along with new narrative elements and a big list of Quality of Life updates.
We sat down with Warframe creative director, Rebecca Ford, and community director, Megan Everett, at the Tokyo Game Show to learn more about the design direction and inspiration for the new chapter.
Rolling the dice with Koumei
“Warframe throughout the years has been inspired by Japanese culture. This is also thanks to our Japanese player base as well who have come to meet us over the years at conventions,” Ford said.
In “Koumei & The Five Fates,” the main character is also known as the Dice-Maiden, whose outfit and weapons are imbued with the concept of fate and destiny.
Koumei’s red and white motif, along with kimono fold patterns and an obi—the belt that secures a kimono—is a nod toward the miko, young Japanese priestesses who look after Shinto shrines, also known as shrine maidens.
Her playstyle relies on chance, where specific dice rolls buff her attacks’ efficacy. And the skills themselves are inspired and named after elements of traditional Japanese culture. Kumihimo is the traditional craftwork of making braids and cords, Omikuji are the fortunes received at shrines, Omamori are protective charms and Bunraku is Japanese puppet theater.
Ford explains Koumei’s powers in further detail in this video:
“We’ve made sure to do the research and incorporate Japanese culture in a way that is respectful and proper,” said the creative director.
The team also got prolific actor Kenjiro Tsuda to narrate the Japanese version of its “Koumei & The Five Fates” trailer. Tsuda was present at the Warframe booth at the convention to thrill fans.
“Warframe: 1999” coming in hot
Warframe players wrapped up with the new Koumei update will have the next massive update coming later this year.
Announced at TennoCon in July, “Warframe: 1999” surprised fans by peeling back the Warframe armor to reveal the human Tennos within.
(Read more: Warframe rewinds to 1999 with a new narrative-driven time travel expansion)
At the Tokyo Game Show booth, the 1999 characters were front and center with larger-than-life posters of them and Arthur and Aoi cosplayers.
Alpha Takahashi voices Aoi and she was there at the booth to celebrate:
Digital Extremes also released 1999’s latest gameplay teaser trailer, showcasing Arthur confronting the Scaldra, as well as his iconic 1999 MK III Atomicycle.
On new Warframe players concerned about getting to the new content quickly, community director Everett said the team works to keep the game balanced for all players.
“It can be something as simple as removing a resource to help take away some of the grind, to make it easier to get to the cool, hot stuff.
“We have a rule that anytime we deploy a new build, we ensure that there is at least one improvement to the new player experience,” said Everett.
Watch Everett talking about this concept at TennoCon 2024 in more detail:
For 1999, Warframe will also include a demo in the early game to help new players know that it’s worth going through the storyline to get there.
“Koumei & The Five Fates” went live on Oct. 2 and Warframe 1999’s demo can be accessed in-game from Oct. 16. Stay tuned for the full release at the end of this year.
