helps Iva locate a supposed Seeker weapon. Iva activates it, revealing it to be a non-lethal repellent against mutants, with it also prompting the Seeker and Imperial soldiers to stop fighting. Development The Panzer Dragoon series saw moderate commercial success on the Sega Saturn. After the release of Panzer Dragoon Saga (1998), Sega restructured its departments, and the Panzer Dragoon studio, Team Andromeda, disbanded. Several Team Andromeda members left Sega, including the series creator Yukio Futatsugi and the artists Manabu Kusunoki and Kentaro Yoshida. A new Panzer Dragoon was pitched for Sega's next console, the Dreamcast, but the console did not meet the technical requirements. There was also a feeling that the original trilogy for the Saturn had reached its logical conclusion. Following the commercial failure of the Dreamcast, Sega left the console market and began developing and publishing games for other platforms, including extensively supporting Microsoft's Xbox. Discussions about a new Panzer Dragoon began in 2000. Takayuki Kawagoe, who became the producer, felt the Xbox was powerful enough to fulfil his vision for a new game in the series. It was originally proposed as Panzer Dragoon Vier, with "Vier" being German for "Four", but was given a different title to distance it from the other games. Akihiko Mukaiyama, who had worked on Saga as battle planner, made his debut as a director with Orta. Kawagoe approached Mukaiyama first about the project. Mukaiyama initially declined, but he was repeatedly approached and told that the game would not be made if he were not involved. Not wanting that responsibility on him, Mukaiyama agreed to direct. Once the project was approved, the team pitched it to Microsoft, who agreed due to Sega's previous Xbox support. Development began in early 2001 at Sega's new studio Smilebit and lasted eighteen months. Kawagoe said that ten members of Team Andromeda worked on the game, with other members advising them while working on other projects. In a different interview, Mukaiyama said there were seven development and five sound staff carried over from Team Andromeda, comprising twelve of the thirty staff at the time. Several members joined because of their love for the series. Takashi Atsu, a series newcomer, was a lead programmer. Takashi Iwade was both the lead designer and a lead programmer alongside Atsu. At its peak, the team comprised fifty people. Design Mukaiyama conceived Orta as a rail shooter, although Kawagoe noted they considered