Onimusha was a strange game. First released back in 2001, Capcom's action-RPG combined elements of hack-and-slash games, Japanese mythology and Resident Evil. While that may sound like a garbled mess of a game, Onimusha quickly gathered its own dedicated fanbase. From 2001 to 2006, Capcom released the original game, three sequels and a number of spin-offs - then, for whatever reason, the series went dormant.

After nine years of no Onimusha, it should come as no surprise that most fans thought the series was dead. Aside from a half-baked browser game back in 2012, Capcom showed no interest in revisiting one of its biggest franchises - with gaming icons like Mega Man getting sidelined, what hope did Onimusha have?

While the Blue Bomber may be stuck in gaming purgatory for the time being, Onimusha may have gotten lucky: in an interview with The Daily Star, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono confirmed that the publisher is considering reviving its demon-slaying action-adventure series.

"Capcom, as a company, knows we have many brands, IPs and series that are beloved by players around the world - and we always have fans asking us, when is this or that game coming back? I've spoken internally with people who made Onimusha with me originally, and talked about maybe how interesting it would be to revisit that series."

Now, before anyone claims that Capcom just confirmed an Onimusha reboot, know that Ono only said that the publisher is discussing the possibility - simply put, Onimusha has a long ways to go before it returns to store shelves.

"...fans should know that we're not further down that road than the discussion phase. Right now, I'm so focused on Street Fighter V that I'm not really in a position to start that same level of battle that I had getting Street Fighter IV made."

Capcom may not be committing to the franchise revival quite yet, but it wouldn't be the first time that internal discussions have led to a oft-requested game. Last year, Capcom asked fans about a Resident Evil 2 HD remake before confirming that the project was in the works...and there's also that mysterious Onimusha trademark that Capcom filed late last year. Could Capcom be further along in the discussions than Ono is letting on?

If Capcom is getting set to revive Onimusha, don't expect to play it anytime soon - at best, fans can hope for a reveal trailer at E3 2016 this June.