Comments on Tactical Insights. Turn based tactics/strategy and tactical/strategy RPG news and reviews.: Deconstructing the "localize it!" argument

Thanks. I think I'll grab both in the end, sin...

2012-02-04T18:04:48.695-05:00

Thanks. I think I'll grab both in the end, since I really should find more excuses to play my 3DS. Sorry for posting in the wrong "post". Guess I scrolled too fast on the front page.

Hi Riposte, I assume you're talking about Devi...

2012-02-04T07:51:48.364-05:00

Hi Riposte, I assume you're talking about Devil Survivor 2? If you can only play one, I would suggest Devil Survivor 2. If you can play both, try to pick up Devil Survivor Overclocked. That's assuming they won't eventually release Devil Survivor 2 Overclocked. :P

Do you think it will be worth playing this just th...

2012-02-04T07:41:21.076-05:00

Do you think it will be worth playing this just this or should I visit the older one? Any chance this won't be a better sequel in every way? I could play both, but I'm wondering which I should play if I could only play one.

Btw, I have a DS and a 3DS.

Hand held localization hits small publishers. yes ...

2012-02-01T02:44:43.568-05:00

Hand held localization hits small publishers. yes Altus has localized by SRPG.

Devil Survivor 2 is probably going to do pretty we...

2012-01-31T16:35:32.459-05:00

Devil Survivor 2 is probably going to do pretty well. It's in a popular RPG franchise and the first game was well received. Gungnir I'm afraid isn't going to do very well.

I think Atlus has already retreated from SRPG localization since 2009.

Remind me to never write something at work...this ...

2012-01-31T15:21:35.800-05:00

Remind me to never write something at work...this first comment of mine is even less readable then usual.

I agree that R-Type Tactics 2 is not a prospect to gazillion sells.

It all comes down to how much it costs to localize and relase a game. Many companies sell games now at very cheap prices on smartphones. As I admit I am not fond of the cheap'n casual flood on app-store or wherever this is also a viable business option.
I know I am comparing apples with oranges here but I am still making a point for the digital only approach.

Unknowledgeable as I may be about localization costs, the age of steam, gamersgate, wiiware, psn, xbla and app-store is at hand.

I will buy Gungnir and I will buy Grownlanser as I bought everything else with only a hint of "S" in SRPG in it in the last couple of years but I already know they will tank. Established little Fanbase or not they are way to late as the PSP is already sinking fast (optimistical way of saying "crashed and burned") they will crash that hard that I don't believe there will ever be an localised release of Blaze Union or Gloria Union (T_T). Atlus will get burned that bad that it will maybe get out of the SRPG niche localisation forever

Games like Rondo of Swords, KitN, LA 1 and 2, Drone Tactics and so on did them no good at all sales wise.

As much as I apploud the past efforts NISA and Atlus put in localisation of SRPGS and TBS games I fear for the same fate as SEGA (VC3) and Nintendo (Fire Emblem 12) if they still cling to the fully localised physical release as the only viable publish option in the west.

Hi Private Prinny, I had to rescue your comment fr...

2012-01-31T12:15:44.184-05:00

Hi Private Prinny, I had to rescue your comment from the "spam" folder.

Piracy is a big issue but I'm not seeing a big different in handheld game sales (at least in Japan) between the DS/PSP and 3DS/Vita, the latter of which still aren't generally open to piracy yet. That might be related to Japan's low piracy rate, though.

It's true that voice work is very expensive, yet there seems to be a stigma about releasing undubbed material. I agree with you that game companies should look more towards undubbed and digital only as a way to cut costs and make localization possible.

VC3 might do ok, but there's quite a lot of bias against the move from PS3 to PSP. I'm not sure a PSP VC of any quality would sell well given that. R-Type Tactics would definitely not sell - the original R-Type Command sold so poorly that you can still find brand new copies on sale right now for bargain bin prices.

This post relates mostly to your second point: Ex...

2012-01-31T11:09:41.389-05:00

This post relates mostly to your second point:

Expected Revenue vs. Cost of Localication/Production

The rampaging piracy on the handheld Systems really hits small publishers where it hurts.
So expecting lower sales due piracy, low fan-base numbers in the first place is always one main reason for the "No Deal" but the localization costs should also be mentioned.

Localisation nowadays is serious business with every game being partly or completely with voice-overs.

Letting my unprofessional hate for (mostly unprofessional) english dubbs aside - I really expect if publishers stateside (or here in Europe) would go for the hands-of approach (meaning no english voice-over at all only subtitles and skript-translation) that would mean more releases on the small scale print runs would become lucrative or at least a +/- 0 result.

I really think Games like Valkyria Chronicles 3 (PSP) due to popularity of the precedessors and maybe R-Type Tactics 2 due to its simpicity would be interesting localication prospects when we come to the next point:

Slash physical releases!

As much as I like my Game-cases and manuals...with low print-run games go full digital release 101%.

Risk over over-production (over estimation of sale figures and print runs) = 0

Costs for transportation, materials, packaging printing, etc = 0
Risk of Gamestop, EB, whatever being pricks and don't but them phisically on display, or no ordes from resellers at all = 0

As you are very spot on the "Advertisment fail" and the "Fanboy-delusioned great over-expectation" I am strongly suggesting the "voice over money-sink" and the "phisical medium money sink" are main topics which should be addressed from fans and brought to discussion in the fanbase and from there to the publishers and creators to rise the awareness.

I simply think most publishers think the would not get purchases at all with no dubb or no physical medium. Publishers should do earnest surveys on this matters (Atlus, NISA, Nintendo and SEGA comes to mind)