PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Well this is freaking depressing.
Thanks for EXA and Lufia Neverland.
Thanks for EXA and Lufia Neverland.
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Neverland Company (Rune Factory, Shining Force Neo) to cease operations
- Thread starter duckroll
- Start date
RuneFactoryFanboy
Member
I really hope that if MMV continues the RF series it's given to someone who can do as good a job.
I never played as much Rune Factory as I'd like, but I loved the Lufia games, I really liked Lodoss War on Dreamcast, and I actually always wanted the Shining Force NEO / EXA series to some to something like XBLA... they were more fun than people gave them credit for, and would be a great basis for Japanese-developed dungeon crawlers for downloadable distribution. :/
I hope to hear something good from their team members somewhere; they have a certain type of quality that is missing in many game releases now-a-days, that's always enjoyable and fun.
I hope to hear something good from their team members somewhere; they have a certain type of quality that is missing in many game releases now-a-days, that's always enjoyable and fun.
Mr. Luchador
Member
I kept looking at Rune Factory on Amazon too, but wasn't sure. I guess I will... next pay day.
twothunder
Member
This news came out of nowhere...
Sad to hear about them closing down and for the people losing their jobs.
I hope this doesn't mean the end of the Rune Factory series.
I own four Rune factory games and am still waiting for number five. (RF4)
Really sucks they go down after RF4 was successful,.
Sad to hear about them closing down and for the people losing their jobs.
I hope this doesn't mean the end of the Rune Factory series.
I own four Rune factory games and am still waiting for number five. (RF4)
Really sucks they go down after RF4 was successful,.
Yup, if you get one, get Lufia 2. It's a wonderful game with a great soundtrack.
Ah, I did not know the business side of things was such that Marvelous would contract Neverland to make Rune Factory, though I remember Aquamarine saying that Rune Factory was more of Producer Hashimoto's idea/project, so I hope he finds other people who can make another game for Marvelous. But come to think of it, I never did buy 343i's Halo 4 because "It wasn't made by Bungie." Would I buy a Rune Factory that "Wasn't made by Neverland?" ... (yes.)
Absolutely.
Please keep in mind that Lufia 1 kinda-sorta spoils Lufia 2 plot points in the intro since the first game comes after the second one on the timeline and both games are closely interlinked. So play the second game first, no matter what.
Awesome game, and thanks to the optional randomized dungeon it's also one hell of a time sink.... Even if the game starts becoming increasingly buggy and broken after you get past a certain dungeon depth. Not to mention the outright evil boss at the bottom.
Best world map vehicle, too. It's a sub, ship, blimp, and it has
a friggen turbo booster.
Aquamarine
Member
Even if Rune Factory gets developed by another company, it will NEVER be the same. Neverland was a very special company with an outstanding development team.
RIP Neverland. Thanks for all the memories.
RIP Neverland. Thanks for all the memories.
I actually wonder what the chances are of MMV forming a new studio mostly composed of Neverland staffers just for Rune Factory? Though that isn't too great either as that would probably mean ONLY Rune Factory from them from now on, and not getting to make other stuff on the side.
Then again when that other stuff ended up being the Lufia remake and Shining Force I guess no one will be too upset.
Then again when that other stuff ended up being the Lufia remake and Shining Force I guess no one will be too upset.
Ghost Dad the Whip
Member
Sad day... all the best to everyone who lost a job
Um.........
http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/gb/lufia3/
People are also forgetting Neverland did Record of Lodoss Wars...
What sucks though is that it's not like they were making AAA games, but despite making games at the Wii/DS/3DS level it seems that wasn't enough. Do we know how financially healthy Marvelous is? I've read though that they've worked with both Nintendo and Sony on some games, so I hope they'll continue to work on making games for traditional gaming platforms. Many of the games for my Wii and DS collection that I bought this year bear some connection to Marvelous (MMV...Marvelous Entertainment) so I hope to enjoy more of their games in the future.
Marvelous makes games for other publishers on the side so if they brought the Neverland guys together under a new studio they might still be able to work for hire with Square Enix, Sega or whoever.
Aquamarine
Member
Hashimoto is the current lead at MMV for Harvest Moon games.
There's no way he's going to let Rune Factory die...he'll convince MMV to find some other studio to make Rune Factory games.
But that doesn't mean Rune Factory will have the same quality, or will release for the same platforms.
I'm worried about the future of the series for that reason. I really hope it lands on its feet.
dragonknight337
Neo Member
I wouldn't expect it to jump plats regardless of who makes it now, whether Marvelous(Natsume?) picks them up, or they get a new dev team, ds/3ds is where they did the best sales.
Sad news though, I grew up playing Lufia and Lufia 2 (very jelly of fertygo, who will get to try them for the first time), and Rune Factory is my favorite jrpg series. I'll buy a new dev's RF, but I hope that they can somehow keep going on the series.
Sad news though, I grew up playing Lufia and Lufia 2 (very jelly of fertygo, who will get to try them for the first time), and Rune Factory is my favorite jrpg series. I'll buy a new dev's RF, but I hope that they can somehow keep going on the series.
Dagnabit, not another one! I keep wishing a competent big fish would come in and scoop up some of these more talented smaller developers. Alas, I think too many of the bigger fish in Japan already have their own development teams, and are only oh so interested in expanding out their talent pool.
Kinda a shame, since I lot of Japanese publishers desperately need a larger pool of talent to draw from. XP
Kinda a shame, since I lot of Japanese publishers desperately need a larger pool of talent to draw from. XP
NO!. This is just so sad. Lufia and the RF series were my favourite series made by them. The Shining made by them for me were the last good Shining games before Sega turned the Shining brand into Shining Bread Waifu.
Also, I thought that RF4 sold well in Japan.
Neverland, I'll miss you.....
Also, I thought that RF4 sold well in Japan.
Neverland, I'll miss you.....
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Man wtf Shining Force EXA was actually good and the Rune Factory games D:::
duckroll y u ruin weekend...
duckroll y u ruin weekend...
Eh. The platforms will be mandated by MMV and not by the developer. If MMV is satisfied with the way the franchise is doing they won't suddenly change the approach completely.
However, it is definitely possible that MMV wants to push RF into a new direction and decided not to go with Neverland with the next game. Not being contracted for RF5 might actually be the reason why they had to close down.
It's also possible that MMV will simply absord the key development staff of the Rune Factory series. Rune Factory is quite an important franchise to them, they won't risk the future of it.
MagiusNecros
Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
After the Lufia 2 Remake, I'm not so certain Lufia will have a future. Still it is sad to see gaming companies close down.
Dimitri LH
Member
No way....
Man, this sucks so much. I've been listening to the Lufia 2 OST on youtube in exasperation. I need to dig up my SNES and play this again, but I lack spare time at the moment. Dammit.
Utterly random thingamajig: Lufia III pre-release prototype music. (According to wiki: Neversoft released this unfinished PS1 game in heavily modified form as Lufia: The Legend Returns for GBC)
Utterly random thingamajig: Lufia III pre-release prototype music. (According to wiki: Neversoft released this unfinished PS1 game in heavily modified form as Lufia: The Legend Returns for GBC)
Exactly. Without a specific per-unit royalty agreement in place, the sales of any game developed by the studio will not directly contribute to the financial stability of that developer. Even then the potential for getting rich from this is limited since a specific game's sales are finite unless you're Nintendo.
Running an independent game development studio in Japan can be tough, especially in today's environment in which next-gen games can only be developed by large studios with technical expertise and ballooning budgets.
95% of the independent development studios out there in Japan just do not have the capability of making this happen on a consistent scale. So some of them turn to low-margin mobile or social titles hoping they strike gold with a Puzzles and Dragons or Dragon Collection or what not.
Aha, Siliconera has translated a message from Producer Hashimoto at: http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/29/rune-factory-series-producer-shares-brief-message-future/
So the man in charge has something cooking up, regardless of what's happened to Neverland Co.
Here's hoping though that the kind in "...what kind of title we'll be releasing next..." doesn't mean a mobile kind of title
So the man in charge has something cooking up, regardless of what's happened to Neverland Co.
Here's hoping though that the kind in "...what kind of title we'll be releasing next..." doesn't mean a mobile kind of title
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Shining Force Neo, EXA and Lodoss are some of my favorite ARPG's of years past. Heartbreaking.
Saddening indeed.
This would mean their games will go up in price? May as well buy rune factory 4 for the collection.
Didn't notice, but shining force exa and neo were made by them ? I thought Sega did. Great two games. I do have shining tears but never got around playing it entirely
This would mean their games will go up in price? May as well buy rune factory 4 for the collection.
Didn't notice, but shining force exa and neo were made by them ? I thought Sega did. Great two games. I do have shining tears but never got around playing it entirely
Aha, Siliconera has translated a message from Producer Hashimoto at: http://www.siliconera.com/2013/11/29/rune-factory-series-producer-shares-brief-message-future/
So the man in charge has something cooking up, regardless of what's happened to Neverland Co.
Here's hoping though that the kind in "...what kind of title we'll be releasing next..." doesn't mean a mobile kind of title
"I can say that the staff members are still doing great."
Maybe Marvelous hired them to make RF games internally?
Neverland seems to have a storied history beyond Rune Factory, so I hope Rune Factory was something they loved to work on, a total of 6(!) games. I could see the progression of skill they had in handling the DS when comparing RF1, 2, and 3 (and now 4), RF3 is incredibly smooth and accessible, a real pleasure and a nice example of how developers can improve when they work on a series/platform over time, and that experience with Nintendo DS hardware is what could be lost should other developers be the ones to carry on the series. So I hope they kept some of the people familiar with Nintendo DS/3DS hardware and who know the little quirks and intricacies (and maybe even the love?) involved in making a Rune Factory game.
Aquamarine
Member
Business circumstances might force MMV to release a sub-standard title.
If the new team behind Rune Factory doesn't deliver a quality product, MMV may have no choice but to release it to recoup the sunk costs. Or, MMV may decide to allocate a lower amount of staff to a sequel, forcing the game to be more barebones (or for mobile platforms).
You're right...the "it might not be on the same platforms" is in reference to MMV possibly deciding to take Rune Factory in a new direction...like a mobile release.
bronk
Banned
I am playing this right now! They made that? Great game! Sucks they got shutdown. I will hunt down Lufia 2 and go get Rune Factory IV as a farewell.
lucablight
Member
So is this really the death of the Lufia franchise? No way back?
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