[Mockingbird]

There is an increasingly growing campaign, spanning multiple forums and gaming sites (NeoGaf, IGN, Kotaku, Destructoid, Nintendoeverything, and more), trying to get Nintendo to listen up and release Xenoblade (also known as Monado: Beginning of the World when it was first announced), The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower in the U.S.

The campaign includes snail mail writing, e-mail, phone calls, facebook, and twitter and the turn-out has been beyond all expectations thus far. Comments on Nintendo's Facebook had passed 1,300 in just 24 hours. (see below on how to contribute to this.)

But actions speak louder than words, so to convey that Nintendo fans really want this, people have decided to show for it by pre-ordering on amazon -- hoping to get it to the #1 sales rank in video games from #12,000+

Results:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #30 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#5 in Video Games > Wii > All Games

See this too: http://666kb.com/i/bunsqwbujfsk3nuqf.gif


So the deal is this, please pre-order it to help get it released in the U.S. Remember: actions speak louder than words.


Pre-Order: http://www.amazon.com/Monado-Beginni...9018899&sr=8-1


It costs nothing upfront to pre-order! You won't be charged till the game ships; also, if the game does come out, the MSRP will surely drop to $49.99.

If you don't intend to buy the game, don't pre-order just to cancel, and you absolutely should not order more than one copy just to inflate the numbers. It'll cause the campaign to backfire.

You could keep the letter-writing date the same, but since pre-ordering on Amazon has already begun you could move up that portion of the campaign to today. So if anyone still hasn't pre-ordered because they're waiting two weeks to follow the Rainfall timetable, they could go ahead and do it now -- it'd become the first phase of a multi-faceted push. And if the worst happens and Nintendo actually gets Monado's page pulled off Amazon because of this weekend's rush, anyone waiting to pre-order would miss the chance to do so. This pre-order thing is the crux of the whole campaign idea. It's the most important part, because no other campaign has ever had this opportunity before -- letter writing will help and be an attention-getter, absolutely, but having actual money on the table is something that Nintendo's never seen before in one of these campaigns. These orders are in. They're there. All they have to do is ship the game and they get the cash. It's a huge motivator. The momentum of social media on Facebook and Twitter is on this too, and right now. Letter-writing is old-school and will be supportive -- still do that. But new media is the attention getter now, and it's getting attention <i>today</i>, so if you guess really want to be successful here you've got to adapt, move and strike while the iron is hot. Move now. Make this weekend so insane that there's no way anything else could be the first item of business on Reggie's desk when he comes to work on Monday morning. -----signature----- Editor-at-Large, IGN Nintendo http://wii.ign.com, http://ds.ign.com

Update #1 on amazon sales rank:

Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#16 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#3 in Video Games > Wii > All Games

Update #2 on amazon sales rank (Saturday, June 25, 2011. 10:24 am):
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#9 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#1 in Video Games > Wii > All Games


Amazon Bestsellers Rank: (Saturday, June 25, 2011. 11:06 am)
#4 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#1 in Video Games > Wii > All Games


Amazon Bestsellers Rank: (Saturday, June 25, 2011. 6:49 pm)
#1 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) -- In Top 100 for 2 Days!
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#1 in Video Games > Wii > All Games




Amazon Bestsellers Rank: (Sunday, June 26, 2011. 11:15 pm)
#1 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) -- In Top 100 for 3 Days!
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#1 in Video Games > Wii > All Games

#9 Bestseller for the Week of June 20, 2011:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers...zg_bsar_cal_we

#4 Bestseller for the Week of June 27, 2011:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers...zg_bsar_cal_we

#80 Bestseller for the Month of June 2011:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers..._bsar_cal_mo#4
-------------------

If You're in Canada (This part of the campaign is now over for Canada):

a Canada-based retailer has joined the cause to get Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower localized.

Pre-Order (no Credit Card necessary) at: http://www.videogamesplus.ca/



(thx to Phoenix Apollo for the img).

more details: http://vgplus.blogspot.com/2011/06/w...-rainfall.html

If you don't intend to buy the game, don't pre-order just to cancel, and you absolutely should not order more than one copy just to inflate the numbers. It'll cause the campaign to backfire.



Add The Last Story and Pandora's Tower to your Wishlist on amazon to spread awareness and increase their ranking


Wishlist: The Last Story: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Story-Jap...9072590&sr=1-2

Wishlist: Pandora's Tower: http://www.amazon.com/Pandoras-Tower...09072625&sr=8-


------------

Snail-Mail Campaign:

ok so a few of us have talked about this idea, but nobody has wanted to step up and take the leadership possition so i guess I have to atleast try the concept: when TV shows are at risk of cancellation, groups of fans have managed to get the networks to bring them back by participating in campaigns that involve writing physical letters (not e-mail) and sending them to the network along with gifts that represent the cause.... in the case of "veronica mars" fans sent mars bars to UPN (and later the CW), in the case of "jericho" fans absolutely flooded CBS with nuts... so lets do the same kind of thing for these 3 games the proposal: 3 separate campaigns... 1 for each game, all with unique target dates (we make a better impact if we plan our letters to arrive at around the same time) what we need to make an impact: we need to absolutely flood nintendo of america, so send letters from as many addresses as you can, get friends to participate, and spread the word in any way possible XENOBLADE: write a polite letter, pointing out the need for the game optional item - miniature toy swords or cocktail swords target date - July 11-13, 2011 (plan your letters to arrive around the 6th, not to ship on the 6th) bellow is a letter template, but feel free to write your own, just try to be polite if possible Dear Reggie, As a fan of your company and of RPGs, I was extremely excited about the reveal of Monado which was later retitled Xenoblade. After it's reveal at E3 2008 it quickly became one of my most anticipated games for the Wii, and as more information, screens, and trailers were released my interest only expanded. I am deeply concerned that this game has no North American release planned, especially considering the sparse lineup on the wii in the next year. I have been a Loyal fan of this company for over 25 years, and yet there hasn't been a game worth getting on your console for nearly 8 months... and nothing on the horizon to be excited about besides Zelda, and yet Xenoblade sits completed, and soon to be localized for Europe in English. Please consider your company's fans, please bring Xenoblade to us. Sincerely, (your name here - signed) THE LAST STORY: write a polite letter, pointing out the need for the game optional item - a small book, a cover of a book, or the last page/chapter/epilogue of a book target date - July 18-20, 2011 (plan your letters to arrive around the 13th, not to ship on the 13th) bellow is a letter template, but feel free to write your own, just try to be polite if possible Dear Reggie, As a fan of your company and of RPGs, I was extremely excited about the reveal of the Last Story. Being a fan of Mistwalker and Hironobu Sakaguchi, it quickly became one of my most anticipated games for the Wii, and when the gorgeous art and impressive screens and trailers were released I only became more excited for the game. I am deeply concerned that this game has no North American release planned, especially considering the sparse lineup on the wii in the next year. I have been a Loyal fan of this company for over 25 years, and yet there hasn't been a game worth getting on your console for nearly 8 months... and nothing on the horizon to be excited about besides Zelda, and yet the Last Story sits completed. Please consider your company's fans, please bring the Last Story to us. Sincerely, (your name here - signed) PANDORA'S TOWER: write a polite letter, pointing out the need for the game optional item - MEAT, preferably a dried meat such as Beef Jerky, Slim Jims, or Landjager (Hunter's Sausage) target date - July 25-27, 2011 (plan your letters to arrive around the 20th, not to ship on the 20th) bellow is a letter template, but feel free to write your own, just try to be polite if possible Dear Reggie, As a fan of your company and of games like Castlevania, I was extremely excited about the reveal of Pandora's Tower. From the initial cryptic reveal, to the delightfully twisted plot details that followed, I have been craving this game all year. I am deeply concerned that this game has no North American release planned, especially considering the sparse lineup on the wii in the next year. I have been a Loyal fan of this company for over 25 years, and yet there hasn't been a game worth getting on your console for nearly 8 months... and nothing on the horizon to be excited about besides Zelda, and yet Pandora's Tower sits completed. Please consider your company's fans, please bring Pandora's Tower to us. Sincerely, (your name here - signed) send your individual letters to: Reginald Fils-Aime (President and COO) c/o Nintendo of America 4820 150th Ave. Northeast Redmond, WA 98052 spread the word.... if we flood their offices we might still have a chance at getting these games so c'mon guys, lets do this

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Let them know on Facebook/Twitter/Youtube:

http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo/pos...1?notif_t=like

http://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica

http://www.youtube.com/Wii

----------


Why the campaign came about:


2008: Nintendo of america stops localizing select games from Japan. Fans found this questionable, but decided to wait it out a bit.

June 2009: Nintendo of america announced Monado: Beginning of the World for release in North america. Monolithsoft fans rejoiced and gave out a small amount of forgiveness over their trespasses in 2008.

May 2010: Monado: Beginning of the World is released as Xenoblade in Japan to completely outstanding reviews and overwhelmingly positive impressions on Gaf and 2-ch. Word of mouth of the high quality of the game spread and gave the game some decent legs. North american fans eagerly anticipate the release date reveal during E3 2010.

June 2010: During E3 2010, Nintendo had no news / announcements regarding Xenoblade in the U.S. a whole year had passed since E3 2009 -- where Xenoblade was announced for a US release. Nintendo fans grow slightly worried but still very hopeful for an announcement later in the year. Meanwhile, many other games, such as The Last Story and Reginleiv, were left unannounced as well.

June 8, 2011: at the end of Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference, Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower were still left out of the upcoming release list. With the end of the Wii's life-span fast approaching, Nintendo fans lost almost all hope for a release of the three J-RPGS.

June 22, 2011: IGN user themightyme, proposes "Operation: Rainfall," a campaign to get Nintendo's attention and inform them that Nintendo fans are fed up and want Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora's Tower.

June 23, 2011: Mathieu Minel, marketing manager of Nintendo France revealed that "Nintendo of Europe wanted to show Xenoblade Chronicles at E3 2011, but Nintendo of America wouldn't let them because they didn't want to show products they aren't planning to sell." (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26928). Nintendo fans start to remove the knives from their backs.

June 24, 2011: Clinging to the last bastion of hope, many Nintendo fans started to gather and lend their voice for operation: rainfall.

-------
(courtesy of bh7812)

NOA's direct number: (425) 882-2040
NCL's direct number: +81-75-662-9600

----------

Side-Effects in Japan

With news of the campaign spreading and having gained the #1 spot on the amazon games best-sellers list in North america, Xenoblade has consequently seen an increase in domestic sales in Japan. Through twitter, boards, and news outlets, some Japanese gamers have gotten wind of Operation Rainfall and Xenoblade has jumped up at least 121 ranks on amazon.co.jp since the campaign has begun.

On June 26, 2011, Xenoblade was ranked at #246 in overall games on amazon.jp.

as of June 29, 2011 6:19 am

Xenoblade is the #125 Best selling game (Up from #141 at 1:09 am)
#3 Best Wii RPG
#12 Best-selling Wii item
#9 Best selling Wii game (only games and no hardware/accessories)



Links


Operation: Rainfall (where it started) http://boards.ign.com/nintendo_wii_l...0/203345328/p1
http://oprainfall.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operat...12751422093743 (FB HQ)


Coverage of Operation Rainfall:

http://kotaku.com/5815447/how-badly-...oblade-for-wii
http://www.destructoid.com/letter-wr...r-204505.phtml
http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/me...h-america.aspx
http://wii.nintendolife.com/news/201...tendo_facebook
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1179120p1.html
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...o-the-wii.aspx
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...elease-article
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/26956
http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1179129p1.html
http://www.destructoid.com/fans-brin....phtml#comment
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/26967
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/26...-fan-campaign/
http://www.rpgamer.com/rpgcast/rpgcast182.mp3 (from 1:04:08 ~1:08:39 live reactions to reading this thread.)
http://kotaku.com/5815716/nintendo-a...ving-them-rpgs
http://screwattack.com/blogs/ScrewAt...op-seller-list
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/27/op...n-of-wii-rpgs/
http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2011/062711a.html
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20...00008-isd-game
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/0...he-last-story/
http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/...and-xenoblade/
http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2.../29/50008.html
http://gadget.itmedia.co.jp/gg/artic...9/news029.html
http://jin115.com/archives/51789250.html
http://jin115.com/archives/51790442.html
http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect....022_110701.mp3 (8-4 podcast around 43 min mark)
http://vgplus.blogspot.com/2011/06/w...-rainfall.html

---------------

Official Comments


Monolithsoft's (Xenoblade/Monado developers) Yuichiro Takeda comments:

yuichiro_takeda 竹田裕一郎 北米amazonで「ゼノブレイド」が全ビデオゲーム部門で１位……経緯はどうあれ、自分のタイトルがこんな順位を記録したのは嬉しい♪

Rough Translation: "Xenoblade has achieved the the #1 ranking in the videogames sales category on the North american amazon website. For one of my titles (that I've worked on) to achieve such a rank. . .I'm happy."



http://twitter.com/yuichiro_takeda/s...24716222595072

北米のユーザーの皆さんに感謝！　#Xenoblade http://goo.gl/U3Vx8 about 21 hours ago via Saezuri Retweeted by 20 people

To all North american users, Thank you! #Xenoblade http://goo.gl/U3Vx8


Mistwalker comments on Operation Rainfall (developers of The Last Story) : http://twitter.com/mistwalker/status/84462555216617472


amazon tweets about Monado: http://twitter.com/#!/amazongames/status/85754364609839107


First Nintendo Response: https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/...11098767966209

@NintendoAmerica Nintendo of America Hey fans, we appreciate your enthusiasm. Look for more updates to come soon!

2nd Nintendo Response http://www.facebook.com/Nintendo/pos...0?notif_t=like

Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so here it is. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!

[Cow Mengde]

Please add that if you don't intend to buy the game, don't pre-order just to cancel, and you absolutely should not order more than one copy just to inflate the numbers. It'll cause the campaign to backfire.

[AceBandage]

It's actually #16 right now.
Oh, and your Amazon link is broken.

[flintstryker]

maybe i am just a helpless pessimist but i highly doubt this is gonna make a lick a difference.

[EDarkness]

maybe i am just a helpless pessimist but i highly doubt this is gonna make a lick a difference.

That may be so, but there's only one way to find out.

I did my part in trying to spread the word...

http://hiero.omc-games.com/?p=1048

[zlatko]

I hit up the facebook situation. When I get a Wii U next year, I had/have plans to buy both Xeno and Last Story as day one purchases if the U.S. gets them. I hope Nintendo listens.

[Instro]

Well I pre-ordered on Amazon earlier, hopefully all of this actually makes a difference. Its kind of interesting to see that everyone has finally gotten fed up after a generation of complaints about localizations.

[jay]

Ordered. If the game I get isn't called Monado, I will be returning it.

[dragonlife]

Just to confirm: When pre-ordering, I don't get charged until the game "ships," right?

[Cow Mengde]

Ordered. If the game I get isn't called Monado, I will be returning it.

What if it's called Xenoblade?

Just to confirm: When pre-ordering, I don't get charged until the game "ships," right?

Correct, but please only do it if you're really going to buy and not pre-ordering just to "show support" and then cancel if it does happen.

[slaughterking]

Just to confirm: When pre-ordering, I don't get charged until the game "ships," right?

Yes, you can also cancel your pre-order anytime you want. (I don't encourage that, though!)

[Mockingbird]

Just to confirm: When pre-ordering, I don't get charged until the game "ships," right?

Correct. Should it come out, you can cancel and choose to buy at whichever store you like, should there be a better deal for this out.

[Strive]

Hah. Hope this works.

[Takao]

I wish Medabots DS was up for pre-order, and had fans who actually gave a fuck (and no, a 650 odd signature online petition doesn't count)... But it wasn't meant to be.

[DECK'ARD]

It really is baffling that games that have been localised for Europe for them not to be released in America.

Also for second-party games, you'd think Nintendo would owe it to the developers they've worked so closely with to ensure as many people play their work as possible.

If I was those developers I'd be mighty pissed off.

[InfiniteNine]

Well pre-ordered. I hope to god they change the name back.

[SolarPowered]

Shows just how shitty a job they've done of pleasing the fans if they have to resort to this kind of thing.

Thinking about preordering myself...

[dragonlife]

Thanks for the clarification. I only ask because I don't have the money right now, but you bet your asses I'm getting this.

I was even going to import, but let's see how this goes.

[Mockingbird]

[madara]

Its time to be vocal and take abit of stand here, things need to change. At the very least your releasing frustration in a positive way. Having been a part of Roswell campaign, creative campaigns can work.

[daffy]

Solatorobo being #1 in that pic should tell you how worthless Amazon lists are.

Good luck guys, I hope everything works out. I've lost all faith in this kinda stuff since my Starmen.net days, but I'm pushing for you!!

[flintstryker]

That may be so, but there's only one way to find out. I did my part in trying to spread the word... http://hiero.omc-games.com/?p=1048

well that's indeed true.

[Hero of Legend]

Just commented on FB. I also started BK: Origins yesterday and am really loving it, I want more Monolith Soft goodness! :D Xenoblade looks incredible and I'm also dying to see what they can do on the Wii U.

[TunaLover]

[ x ] e-mail to Nintendo
[ x ] pre-order on Amazon
[ x ] spam their Facebook page

[sillymonkey321]

It's pathetic that people have to beg Nintendo just to release games that are already made on the highest selling system this generation.

Damn pathetic.

[Mockingbird]

Solatorobo being #1 in that pic should tell you how worthless Amazon lists are. Good luck guys, I hope everything works out. I've lost all faith in this kinda stuff since my Starmen.net days, but I'm pushing for you!!

The only reason it's number one is because sales started at 0 due to it being a new entry and so in percentage terms the sales increase is infinity for every pre-order.

[DownLikeBCPowder]

I definitely will join in on your little effort by preordering Xenoblade. Unfortunately beyond hearing rumblings about the others here on GAF I am not ultra familiar, so I'll have to make myself more known to them so that perhaps I can assist with these as well.

Tweeted.

[Labombadog]

I did my part.

[Yuterald]

I pre-ordered on Amazon for the hell of it. Not getting my hopes up though. I'm so emotionally bankrupt from this whole issue.

[Cow Mengde]

What do you guys think about doing some youtube videos as well? You can easily grab footage of all 3 games and slap together something with either text or your voice telling and explaining this campaign to everyone. We can even chain our videos together by making them a response to each other's videos. We'll flood youtube with videos about bring the games to the West.

[BY2K]

Solatorobo being #1 in that pic should tell you how worthless Amazon lists are.

It's not ranked #1, it's ranked 304. That pages says which game had the most boost in pre-order sales in the last 24 hours. Monado is #16.

[SabinFigaro]

I pre-ordered Monado a good while ago, but I'll probably get around to writing a letter soon.

[NEO0MJ]

I contributed, even though I know how hopeless this is.

[Terminas]

Darn, with Canada Post on strike and Amazon.ca being, as usual, a terribly neutered version of Amazon.com (they don't have Monado/Xenoblade up for pre-order...) I can't do my part :(

Guess I'll throw in my support digitally at the very least.

[EuropeOG]

I approve this.

[Chopper Dave]

There is no game I want more than Xenoblade right now so I may as well give it a shot.

[AceBandage]

Think we can get #Xenoblade a trending topic?

[topramen]

letter/facebook/twitter/amazon


any chance people at the major site can get on board?

[CO_Andy]

We lambasted Nintendo to print more Ocarina soundtrack CDs, so what the hell, ret's do this!

[Mockingbird]

letter/facebook/twitter/amazon any chance people at the major site can get on board?

IGN is doing a feature article on the campaign later today.

[dwu8991]

Let me know how it goes once I finished playing xenoblade

[Phoenix_Apollo]

Monado just went up seven spots to breach the top ten! Yay #9!

[A Human Becoming]

Does anyone know of a cheap, small sword on Amazon?

[AceBandage]

Monado just went up seven spots to breach the top ten! Yay #9!

Will it hit #1 by the end of the day?

Or better yet, will it stay in the top 10 for a few weeks?

[Mockingbird]

Monado just went up seven spots to breach the top ten! Yay #9!

Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#9 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#1 in Video Games > Wii > Action
#1 in Video Games > Wii > All Games

[Phoenix_Apollo]

Will it hit #1 by the end of the day? Or better yet, will it stay in the top 10 for a few weeks?

That's what we're all hoping for. Considering that it went from 24 to 16 to 9 in a couple of hours, I would think it'd be hitting the top spot relatively soon.

[MattKeil]

letter/facebook/twitter/amazon any chance people at the major site can get on board?

Most definitely.

[slaughterking]

Monado just went up seven spots to breach the top ten! Yay #9!

This is really fascinating to watch.

[EuropeOG]

#9 of video game best sellers on Amazon. :D

[Busaiku]

Why does everyone focus on the Wii games and ignore quality DS titles like Last Window or Soma Bringer.