In an unexpected twist, 'GTA 5 was quite a big inspiration' for Dragon's Dogma 2 and game director Hideaki Itsuno

In a twist of events that may seem a bit out of the ordinary, Dragon's Dogma 2's game director, Hideaki Itsuno, has spoken about one strong source of inspiration for the soon-to-arrive fantasy RPG, and it wouldn't be my first choice.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is set to release on March 22 and easily sits up there as one of the PC games we're most excited about in March.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Itsuno revealed that GTA 5 has been a source of inspiration during the course of Dragon's Dogma 2's development. "GTA 5 was quite a big inspiration for me on the level of how it manages to combine multiple emergent gameplay systems into a satisfying experience that feels free to the player in terms of their freedom of what they can choose to do," Itsuno said.

It's true that GTA 5 doesn't tie you down with what should be done or even how you should go about completing tasks. I've played through too many Heists with my ragtag group of friends where the obvious choice isn't always the first one. Whether that's standing in front of cover while getting peppered with bullets as I watch our total payout gradually decrease, or one team member deciding to risk everything just to perform a backflip as we flee law enforcement.

GTA 5 also supports players in their efforts to do increasingly strange and out-of-control antics; events can overlap without doing too much damage to the surrounding world. "The game manages that; it doesn't crash, it doesn't kick you out of one thing and put you in the other, it just lets it all mash together in a way that is, of course, sometimes chaotic, but always feels like it's intentional," Itsuno explained. "And [that] sort of intentionality in emergent gameplay and open-world design is something that I was incredibly impressed by at the time that game came out, and that kind of experience is something I've been aiming to provide in Dragon's Dogma 2."

We already know that Itsuno is looking to create something new after focusing on Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma for 20 years, but it's great to hear that he's still looking for ways to breathe fresh air into Dragon's Dogma 2.