Why Shin Sangoku Musou 7 Is “Dynasty Warriors 8” In The West

When Dynasty Warriors 8—or Shin Sangoku Musou 7 as it is known in Japan—was recently announced via Jump magazine, there was a little confusion (this happens every time) among our readers as to why we’re one number ahead in the west. For the folks that still don’t know the reason, here’s a quick explanation.

Back in 1997, Koei published a game called Sangoku Musou—without the “Shin”—for the original PlayStation. This was a one-on-one weapon-based fighting game featuring feudal warlords, and was localized in the west as “Dynasty Warriors”. You can watch a video above, courtesy of Gamer Walkthroughs.

When Koei eventually released Shin Sangoku Musou in Japan, they left its fighting roots behind and adopted the hack-and-slash style the series is known for today. However, instead of being a new series in the west like it was in Japan, this game was localized as Dynasty Warriors 2, instead of New Dynasty Warriors or something along those lines to reflect the “Shin” part of the title.