[Valigarmander]

Sunsoft Returning to Western Game Development

It's a combo sure put a smile on a lot of old-school gamers' faces: Sunsoft has announced that they're partnering with Gaijinworks -- the new company headed by former Working Designs president Victor Ireland -- to return to game development in the west, with the first release being a Virtual Console port of Blaster Master for the NES.

For those not so familiar with Sunsoft, they're the developer behind classics like the aforementioned platforming/shooter series Blaster Master and tactical RPG Albert Odyssey.

As for Ireland's involvement, he explained in a statement in the press release (via NeoGAF) that, "My relationship with Sunsoft and [Suncorporation CEO Kiharu Yoshida] goes back more than 15 years, and when this opportunity presented itself to help Sunsoft return to the US console market, it was a natural fit for both our companies."

Working Designs was shut down back in 2005, with Ireland founding Gaijinworks a year later. While Blaster Master is the only announced title out of this new incarnation of Sunsoft at the moment, the press release promises additional titles to be announced "in the coming weeks" -- and they'll apparently appeal to fans of Working Deisngs as much as Sunsoft. On the official forums on the new U.S. Sunsoft website, Ireland wrote that, "The next press release should definitely make some gamers very, very happy -- especially old-school Working Designs fans."

In the meanwhile, no specific date for the Virtual Console release of Blaster Master has been given (other than December 2009), but whenever it does pop up within the next few weeks, it'll run you 500 Wii points ($5).

I WANT LEMMINGS. EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS ONLY PUBLISHED BY SUNSOFT.