Chrono Resurrection - Closure and Aftermath

Closure and Aftermath

Chrono Resurrection was originally set for a Christmas 2004 release. However, Square Enix issued a cease-and-desist letter to Resurrection Games before the release for trademark and copyright infringement. Faced with a threat of legal action, the project was publicly closed on September 6, 2004. According to the development team, the website of the project had received significant hits from Square Enix Japanese IP addresses for a period of three months before the letter issuing. They assumed these visits were mostly from employees rather than top executives, and hoped the company would see the demo as how the team sees it, a tribute to Chrono Trigger rather than a replacement.

Gaming websites 1UP.com and GameSpot called the project's second version "ambitious" and praised its graphics, noting that the art style is mostly faithful to that of the original game's character designer Akira Toriyama. Website Nintendo World Report praised the game's graphics and music, and called the quality of the artwork "professional". 1UP.com judged the project's closure "unfortunate" but deduced that Square Enix could not leave the possibility of a "competing" Chrono Trigger remake open. GameSpot also expressed their disappointment in Square Enix's decision to shut down the "furthest along" of Chrono Trigger fan remakes, pointing at the fact that with no news of another official sequel, fans of the Chrono series "have been left in the cold". Website GamePro Australia called the project "possibly the greatest fan remake to get crushed under the huge shoe of a big-time developer".

Several Internet petitions were created by fans to pressure Square Enix into green-lighting Chrono Resurrection; none has had any effect, however. Nathan Lazur, though disappointed, holds no ill will towards Square Enix for protecting its intellectual property, and he has stated that he "felt honoured to even be recognized" by the company. He added that to avoid legal issues, developers of fangames should present their polished demos directly to the original publishers so that the products can be handled in a "more traditional business procedure". Before the closure of Chrono Resurrection, Lazur had stated that his team had no plans to remake other games after the project's completion and would have liked to develop an original concept based in feudal Japan.