time", according to series producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto. In November 2013, Neverland Co. filed for bankruptcy, leaving the future of the series in question at the time. However, in February 2014 it was revealed that the Rune Factory development team had been hired by Marvelous AQL, and that they were developing the Nintendo 3DS simulation role-playing video game Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven. In February 2019, during the 13.02.19 Nintendo Direct, Rune Factory 5 was once again confirmed to be in development by Hakama, a new studio founded by Hashimoto. In September 2020, during a Nintendo Direct Mini presentation the game's release date was slated for Spring 2021 in Japan and later in the same year worldwide. Another trailer was released in a Japanese-exclusive Nintendo Direct mini in October, revealing a limited edition "Premium Box" and an expected release date of May 20, 2021 in Japan. Reception The Rune Factory series has been well received. Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon received an 8.4 rating from IGN's Mark Bozon. Bozon commented that the art style was "amazing", and that it was "the Harvest Moon you've been waiting for". 7/10 from Nintendo Power, and 4/5 from X-Play. IGN rated Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon at 8.4/10, commenting on its similarity to the original. Rune Factory 5 debuted at #1 in the Switch digital sales charts in Japan. See also Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon – a 2006 video game, also released as a spin-off of the Story of Seasons franchise for its tenth anniversary. Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven – a 2014 video game featuring key staff from Rune Factory List of Sega video game franchises List of best-selling Japanese role-playing game franchises Notes References External links Action role-playing video games Marvelous Entertainment franchises Marvelous Entertainment Neverland (company) games Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2006 Fantasy video games Sega Games franchises Role-playing video games by series