SEGA’s recently announced Hero Bank turns out to be the latest project from Toshihiro Nagoshi

It’s not much of a stretch to say that the announcement of Hero Bank, a 3DS exclusive RPG said to deal with real world currencies, hasn’t set the world on fire. Though I’m personally still trying to wrap my head around its general concept, details are beginning to trickle in for SEGA’s newest IP; one bit of info that may be of most interest to SEGA fans is that it comes from none other than Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi. For more, including quotes from the man himself, hit the jump.

“This is a game that’s more targeted toward children than anyone else, but nonetheless ‘money’ is an important theme here,” Nagoshi told Famitsu. “Some people might think that’s a little too raw a topic, but I think it’s good to have a theme like that in a hero-oriented story. Money is an inescapable part of our lives, and while the amounts we’re talking may differ, it’s something near and dear to children as well. Mixing money in with this heroic kind of game lets us explore new types of drama, I think.”

Hero Bank’s characters, said to be of about middle school age, essentially train their heroes to compete in elaborate battles against each other for cash prizes, which are then spent on upgrades.

“I think some publishers tackle this genre with tried-and-true hero stories, but I think there’s room for games that deal with the themes Hero Bank deals with as well.”-Nagoshi

The amount of money you earn is determined by how exciting the audience found the battle to be. The more you win, the more freedom you have to evolve your heroes or to even purchase new ones.

It’s a strange idea, to be sure; we’ll see how Hero Bank turns out as it nears its December 19th release date. So far Nagoshi’s latest is a 3DS exclusive and needless to say, no Western release has yet been announced.

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