Director and creator of Dragon's Dogma 2, Hideaki Itsuno, revealed some of the sources of inspiration for the expansive open-world map in the upcoming game. Dragon's Dogma 2, a follow-up to one of Capcom's best-selling games, is one of the most eagerly awaited games of 2024 and promises to be an even better experience than the original. This is evident from factors like the open world's size, which will be significantly larger than the original.

Dragon's Dogma 2's map is four times bigger than the first game's, according to a previous Capcom video. Itsuno claims that this map size was difficult to achieve because he and the development team had originally intended for a map that was 1.5 to 2 times larger. The real world served as some inspiration for both its scale and the type of adventure it offers.

In contrast to straightforward in-game messaging, Itsuno recalled in an interview with IGN how the team aimed to give players a genuine sense of "danger" while they were exploring in Dragon's Dogma 2 through environmental design. The developers conducted extensive location scouting, including trips to well-known high-altitude sites like the Abeno Harukas skyscraper and the Osaka Castle, in addition to going on mountain climbing expeditions.

Itsuno also aimed to capture the authentic experience of ascending a mountain in Dragon's Dogma 2, rather than merely allowing the player to walk up its slope. This was motivated by their experiences climbing mountains, where they discovered that while there was frequently a straight path to the top, it was seldom followed. Rather, ascension routes typically encircle the mountains; Itsuno's group responded to this sentiment by providing players with a choice that was somewhat hazardous but still felt respectable. "Putting places on the map that players won't want to visit will allow us to decide where we want to focus on while not creating a map that allows you to go anywhere you want."

Itsuno also revealed some of the difficulties he and the team encountered in trying to keep the player interested despite the Dragon's Dogma 2 map being quadruple the size of the original. The developers tackled this issue in a few different ways, such as by drawing objects on the map to direct the viewer's gaze or by designing a landmark that wasn't always fully visible from a distance. Even though this is a fundamental aspect of games, he wanted to ensure that players wouldn't become disoriented or bored in Dragon's Dogma 2's expansive open world.