Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back is jointly developed by JP Universe and Zhibao, with Tabata serving as co-producer and Yasuaki Nasu as development director. Original writer Masahiro Yuki and character designer Neko Shogun have returned to participate in creation. The game will launch on PS5 in 2027. In a recent media interview at Tokyo Game Show, the development team discussed their creative approach for the new title, combat system, story direction, and how they handled the style of the original work.
The story of this game is a direct continuation of the original's ending, with Nick, familiar to fans, once again reduced to just a head. As for what events led to this situation, the official side has not yet revealed specific plot details. The stage moves to Jaredwood, a city rebuilt around the film industry, where Juliet becomes entangled in a zombie movie crisis orchestrated by a mysterious director.
The new title continues the series' fast-paced action positioning, not deliberately pursuing heavy impact weight, while also adding some heavy-hitting moves to enrich combat variety. The roller skates showcased in the demo are not merely cosmetic; they are a new combat mechanic serving character appeal, capable of altering movement and attack performance. The team has designed a special camera system that inserts close-up shots between frames of combos. The smoother the player's operation, the more cinematic shots appear, amplifying Juliet's character appeal without interrupting the combat rhythm, allowing players to appreciate the character's motion performance during battles.
When asked how to preserve the original's sexy, darkly humorous, and zany qualities in the current market environment, Tabata stated that the team had in-depth discussions internally and determined that delivering a gameplay experience true to the spirit of Lollipop Chainsaw expected by fans was the highest priority. Political correctness was not the most important factor, and they would do their utmost to protect the core elements beloved by players. All content in this game is crafted manually by creators, with no use of AI-generated content, which is a firm principle established for the project.
Although the team greatly respects Suda51's original creation, the new game will not directly seek his supervision. Instead, the development team will create based on respect for the original while incorporating the understanding and personality of a new generation of developers. JP Universe has considerable RPG development experience and has specially formed a new action game team for this project, including veteran programmers from Ninja Gaiden and Final Fantasy XV, applying their accumulated action development expertise to this title.
Zhibao and JP Universe operate in a highly integrated collaborative model. Zhibao primarily oversees the IP's overall direction, while JP Universe handles actual development tasks such as gameplay and level design, with both parties brainstorming together to refine the content. The team also hopes this sequel will not only reward longtime fans but also attract new players. There are many female developers on the team who will polish Juliet's character appeal from a female perspective, hoping to gain more affection from female gamers.
Currently, the costume system in Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back largely continues the original's full-outfit change mode. The team will take back player suggestions for freely mixing and matching tops and bottoms for internal discussion. Regarding news about other platforms, that will be announced later by the publisher.