Koei Tecmo unveiled not one, but two major announcements for Dynasty Warriors fans. Fresh off the success of Dynasty Warriors: Origins—a game that breathed new life into the long-running franchise—the developer surprised audiences with reveals of an ambitious DLC expansion and the return of a beloved classic.

During Tokyo Game Show 2025, we got to hear from Tomohiko Sho, the producer behind both Dynasty Warriors: Origins and the upcoming Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered. While Sho couldn’t reveal every detail about the projects still in development, he offered valuable insights into the team’s vision, the challenges of remastering a decades-old game, and what players can expect from both expansions to the Dynasty Warriors universe.

Origins DLC: Exploring Untold Stories

The first major DLC for Dynasty Warriors: Origins will focus on expanding the game’s narrative beyond the main story’s perspective. According to Sho, the goal is to present content that cannot be experienced in the base game.

“The main story focuses more on the primary factions such as Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei, while the DLC will allow players to see other perspectives and explore stories of additional characters,” Sho explained.

The DLC will feature story expansions as its core offering, with Zhang Jiao prominently featured in the reveal trailer. However, Sho clarified that Zhang Jiao is just one example of the characters players will encounter. The reason he was showcased first comes down to two factors: the video production related to him was completed first, and he enjoys very high popularity among players.

“The DLC story itself is an ‘IF route,'” Sho revealed when asked about alternative storylines.  While entirely new modes are not guaranteed, the producer confirmed that since the game is fundamentally a tactical action title, players can look forward to additions in the action gameplay. The team is also considering whether to add some new gameplay elements to maps, though specific details remain under wraps.

Why Dynasty Warriors 3 Got the Remaster Treatment

The announcement of Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered came as a welcome surprise to longtime fans. Sho explained that the decision was driven directly by player feedback.

“Over the past decade, players have still been able to easily access series entries released after Dynasty Warriors 6 on modern platforms such as Steam. However, titles before the fifth installment have become increasingly difficult to experience today,” Sho noted.

“Among all the requests, Dynasty Warriors 3 was the most frequently mentioned, so we decided to make it the subject of this remaster.”

The remaster aims to bring a classic title from the old era into high definition while making adjustments suitable for modern players. Sho emphasized that the primary goal is to allow players who experienced the original to relive those memories, while also providing a fresh experience for newcomers.

“The biggest difference between DW3 and Origins lies in the system design. In DW3, players can choose different characters and personally experience their stories, which is the major distinction from Origins,” the producer said.

What started as a simple HD remaster evolved into something more substantial during development. The team made numerous adjustments to ensure the game meets modern standards.

“We made adjustments in many areas. For example, the number of enemies visible on-screen has increased, which directly affects game pacing and balance,” Sho explained.

“Therefore, the AI of the generic soldiers also had to be upgraded—if we had kept the original design, it would not meet modern standards.”

One significant change involves the defense system. In the original Dynasty Warriors 3, characters could only block attacks coming from the front. In the remaster, the team increased the number of enemies and adjusted the defense mechanism to enable 360-degree blocking, similar to Origins.

The character growth and weapon systems also received optimization to prevent the game from feeling tedious. These adjustments came with increased development costs and time. “We even got scolded by the company because of it,” Sho joked.

The Unreal Engine 5 Decision

For the remaster, the development team chose to use Unreal Engine 5 instead of Koei Tecmo’s proprietary Katana Engine. Sho revealed that the decision was partly practical and partly experimental.

“Actually, the initial reason was partly serious, partly playful—we just really wanted to try it out,” the producer admitted.

“But with an engine like Unreal, it’s difficult to truly understand its strengths and weaknesses without hands-on experience.”

The age of Dynasty Warriors 3 also played a role. Unlike slightly newer titles that could be directly migrated into the Katana Engine, DW3’s data was too old for that approach. Sho emphasized that performance differences between Katana and Unreal 5 are minimal when developing from scratch, and that PC optimization challenges lie more with the development team than the engine itself.

Voice Acting and Music Updates

The remaster includes significant updates to voice acting and audio quality. The original Chinese voice acting was incomplete and the translation quality didn’t meet modern standards, so the team re-translated the Chinese text and re-recorded the voices.

For other languages, the voices were not re-recorded, but the quality has improved. “In the original version, due to storage limitations, both music and voices were compressed. Now that storage limitations are reduced, we can use files closer to the original recordings,” Sho explained.

The music tracks themselves remain the same original compositions, but they have been HD-enhanced. “Listening now, you will notice the music is clearer and sounds fuller,” the producer said.

When asked about the memorable Chinese-sung ending theme from the original, Sho couldn’t reveal specifics but shared some background. The producer at the time wanted music that better reflected Chinese style and suited the Three Kingdoms era, leading to the collaboration with a singer who could perform in both Chinese and Japanese.

The End of Xtreme Legends

Fans may have noticed that this expansion isn’t labeled Xtreme Legends, the traditional name for Dynasty Warriors expansions. Sho explained that this reflects the changing landscape of game distribution.

“The name Xtreme Legends was used back when the internet was not as widespread, as a way to refer to expansion discs. Nowadays, with the matured online environment, many games have major DLCs or expansion content, which has become the standard format,” he said.

The team does not plan to continue using the Xtreme Legends label, though they might consider giving the DLC a more specific name to help players understand its content.

Looking Ahead for Dynasty Warriors

When asked about potential remasters of Dynasty Warriors 4 or 5, Sho stated there are no specific plans at this time. “Continually doing remasters may fatigue players,” he noted. Future remaster projects would depend on the performance and reception of Dynasty Warriors 3.

The producer also emphasized the importance of Asian players to the series’ future. “Not only Japanese players, but Asian players in general are extremely important for the development of this series. The continuation of the series relies heavily on support from players in the Greater China region and other Asian countries.”

As for the series’ long-term vision, Sho acknowledged he’ll likely be retired in twenty years, leaving it to the next generation of developers. However, the team is already thinking about the next ten years and how to make the Dynasty Warriors series even more interesting.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins DLC and Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered both aim to enrich the franchise in different ways—one by expanding the current story with fresh perspectives, the other by reviving a beloved classic for modern audiences. Both projects demonstrate the team’s commitment to serving longtime fans while welcoming newcomers to the world of Dynasty Warriors.