UlasanAnime.com – This is not a post about Nichijou, apologies are in order.
I don’t have extensive knowledge about MangaGamers and their relationships with various bishoujo game developers or the eroge scene. It can feel like a very tight-knit community, often comprised of small teams pursuing their passions and making a living from it. This sense of close connection is reminiscent of how characters interact in Koe de Oshigoto!. In some instances, it’s akin to a family business, as seen with 07th Expansion and likely others.
However, observing the actions of the MangaGamer representative, both at last year’s AX and in a recent forum thread he initiated, suggests a strong understanding of the challenges involved in the growth, sales, and distribution of these games. It’s important to remember that MangaGamer is a company founded in Japan.
His decision to engage directly on the BBS raises questions about the reasons behind it. He is also soliciting feedback for their tourism game, designed for foreign players, which appears to be nearing completion. This solicitation of opinions is noteworthy. I will quote EvoSpace’s translation for clarity:
First of all, I would like to start from the current status of the Japanese bishoujo game industry.
Many companies in Tokyo and nearby regions were heavily affected by the earthquake in March and their schedules were thrown off. Although the damage may differ in size, companies working with MangaGamer, such as Circus, OVERDRIVE, Navel were all affected as well.This has finally calmed down now in May, but it’s still not safe to assume things. I wouldn’t say it is bad as Fallout3, but we are still having difficult times.
The mention of Fallout 3 is amusing. It highlights a potential for games that blend American retro culture with the Japanese visual novel experience, ideally avoiding overly heavy or noir themes.
As a premise, most of the bishoujo game companies in Japan make their games with the minimal number of staff, and obviously, their main market is Japan. And because of piracy and the unknown size of the overseas market, many times, they are uncomfortable about working with us, and it takes quite a long time to have them understand what we are trying to do. As the producer of OVERDRIVE, my company is not that big either. Yet, I am trying my best to go around trying to talk to different companies while releasing our games in Japan.Most Japanese game companies are thinking this,
– Is it really going to sell overseas?
– What about the laws?
– Is there a demand?You might also be interested in : Parenting and Anime: A Discussion
This probably is on the mind of 90% of the companies that you wish for. Since sales in Japan is going down recently, it is even more diffcult for them to look at the overseas market.
We’ve been running MangaGamer for a while, and have visually seen that there are indeed fans and demands, and our sales has been increasing over the years gradually. Using such data, we are trying to negotiate with several game companies.
The first key takeaway is that MangaGamer is experiencing growth, which is positive news. This is a significant point.
The second concern is articulated very well. Bamboo appears to be realistic, acknowledging that the Western visual novel community includes both potential buyers and individuals who engage in piracy. While there’s an overlap, dwelling on it isn’t productive. It’s more beneficial to consider it an issue of availability. The lack of accessibility could reasonably be cited as a primary driver for piracy, especially with the prevalence of digital distribution.
From the perspective of a Japanese development studio, this translates to increased risk. This is how I interpret the questions “Is it really going to sell?” and “Is there demand?”. While legal aspects are beyond our control, there is financial potential. Bamboo’s message is straightforward: support the games by purchasing them. As a casual customer of MangaGamer, I remain neutral, but the progress he’s making suggests a strong potential for success.
We are still working on this game with minori.
They are the ones helping us with the actual development of the English version.
We are taking a good care of the translated script, even if it is fan translated.
“Muv Luv” is a big title from age, and they take significant care about their games. It’s not that they are ignoring the overseas fan, but because they still put their priority in the Japanese market, their response is slow. The Japanese fans refer to their 3 years as “1 age”. That’s how long and serious their development span is.Also, they just announced the Xbox360 version but it took a while until they told me about those things. However, it’s natural that they needed to keep things a secret until the announcement. For a large budget game such as that, not only the game company, but several companies may invest for its rights. This is called the “Development Council” in Japan and it is a common form of how anime are produced. Although there are some merits, there is the demerit that unless all of the members of the “Development Council” agree, they can’t make decisions.
This offers valuable insight into the production process of large-scale games compared to the smaller projects typically handled by localization companies.
The remainder of Bamboo’s post is a plea for the Western market to improve its image regarding piracy and other issues. This is a long-term endeavor with a potential for positive change. If fans truly appreciate the content, they should demonstrate their support through legitimate purchases. Open communication, even across language barriers, could be a starting point.
