A Rurouni Kenshin game set to be published by Aniplex has been canceled due to “various circumstances,” including serious quality concerns.

Three sources at SEGA of America, the overseas publisher of the game, and Pole to Win, who was tasked with quality assurance, spoke to affiliates of AniPlug Media on the condition of anonymity. The cancelled Kenshin game:

1. started production in response to the success of Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, which recently passed the 4 million copies milestone.
2. had been in development for at least a year and a half before its cancellation, and was scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Steam. Soleil, known for Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, Wanted: Dead, and Aniplex’s own (and also canceled) Demon Slayer: Keppū Kengeki Royale, was in charge of development.
3. was a mission-based action RPG that would have covered from the beginning of the story to Kenshin’s final battle against Shishio. Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Saito, Aoshi, and Shishio were among the over 20 playable characters.
4. also featured online and offline Versus modes that a PTW employee described as a “3D fighter.” When asked for clarification—because many people don’t know the difference between a 3D fighter and an arena fighter—they reiterated that the game was a 3D fighter, describing it as “Samurai Shodown but it moves like Dead or Alive.”
5. was set to launch after Rurouni Kenshin Season 3 aired, and the Rurouni Kenshin collaboration in Phantasy Star Online 2 would have run again alongside the game’s launch.

One of the major issues the game suffered from was a bug in Versus Mode that granted Misao invincibility when facing any character that wasn’t Kaoru, Yahiko, or Kamatari. Attempts to address the bug inadvertently made all of Misao’s attacks against all but the aforementioned characters a one-hit KO, at which point some of the QA team left the project.

This Rurouni Kenshin game is the latest in a string of canceled games based on Shueisha IPs, following rumors of canceled Naruto and One Piece games.