It’s confirmed, Valkyria Chronicles 3 headed for the PSP

Fans of Valkyria Chronicles who are hoping for a hi-def return, brace yourselves. It appears that the next entry into the SRPG franchise, Valkyria Chronicles, will not be hitting consoles any time soon. Instead, it looks like it’s going to be a handheld series for the indefinite future, something that will easily cause gamers to throw a fit.

Unveiled in the newest issue of the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (via Andriasang), the game’s proper title is Valkyria Chronicles 3: Unrecorded Chronicles and will be released in Japan on January 27, 2011. As with the second entry, the game will feature an entirely new story and cast of characters, although it does take place at the same time period as the original PS3 game. The new squad is currently being referred to as the Nameless, a group consisting of various criminals, deserters and other bad guys where members are referred to numbers instead of names.

When asked why the company decided to pursue the series on the PSP instead of continuing on home consoles, Motoyama simply stated that “they want to develop the series on the PSP farther than they had been able to so far.” Knowing that tons of fans wish to see a return to the PS3, he just stated that they would need to incorporate so many new ideas outside of gameplay tweaks that they may not even be able to call it the same series anymore. Although he didn’t rule out a return someday stating that if they were to come up with the right idea, it is possible.