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Can we get Sony to localize and publish Japanese 3rd party games in the West?

C

Canis lupus

Member
So it seems we can bury all hope for more Yakuza in the West by Sega after this news: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=688703
Rather than waiting on Sega, can we nag Sony with our requests for Japanese games that don't make it here? Nintendo has been doing it for a long time with Layton, they also published SE's Bravely Default in the west and are planning to bring more titles overseas. http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/3...developers-bring-their-3ds-games-to-the-west/


So in the hopes of persuading Sony, can we organize a new campaign where we ask and beg Sony to bring over games on their platforms too, have our own Op Rainfall?

3 ways to do this:

  • Send emails and letters to SCEA and SCEE
  • Post about it on PS Blog
  • Post messages on their Facebook and Twitter


Contact Sony people:

Yoshida - President of Worldwide Studios
https://twitter.com/yosp

Gio Corsi - Director of Third Party Production for Sony PlayStation
https://twitter.com/giocorsi

Adam Boyes - Publisher & Developer Relations
https://twitter.com/amboyes

Anyone else? Contact these people and let them know.

Titles that could be picked up and published by Sony:

From Sega:
Yakuza 5
yakuza-5-characters9flaj.jpg


Valkyria Chronicles III
valkyria-chronicles-344kd7.jpg


Square Enix:
final_fantasy_type-0d9bjo.png



Missing info? Have suggestions? Your help is welcome.
 
T

Takao

Banned
Boyes has already recognized that Type-0 and Yakuza 5 topped Gio's list. Whether or not SCEA publishes those games likely falls into the hands of the IP holders, and not them.
 
B

B.O.O.M

Member
well I believe it was Famousmortimer who brought the rumor about Sony preparing some localization teams...fingers crossed
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Takao said:
Boyes has already recognized that Type-0 and Yakuza 5 topped Gio's list. Whether or not SCEA publishes those games likely falls into the hands of the IP holders, and not them.
Click to expand...
I just wonder if they've considered it, since there are these niche games with a small but loyal fanbase that wouldn't mind playing the games on a somewhat struggling platform that everyone sees as having "no games".
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
When was the last time SCEA localized anything third party? I think they do great localization work, but only on first party stuff. They did great on Wild Arms 3.
 
P

Prince Vultan

Banned
Pretty sure one of the insider types on here said that Sony was doing this exact thing. Would explain why the random request for JRPG suggestions to come out over here on Vita from SCEE a while back I guess.
 
S

Skeff

Member
firehawk12 said:
I just wonder if they've considered it, since there are these niche games with a small but loyal fanbase that wouldn't mind playing the games on a somewhat struggling platform that everyone sees as having "no games".
Click to expand...

Some of these niche games IMO sell more systems than some bigger games, if it's a bigger game then it's a bit important to some people and would be part of a reason to buy a console but with some niche games, people would actually buy a system entirely for that game.

So from that it would be worth it from hardware sales as well as software sales.
 
F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Skeff said:
Some of these niche games IMO sell more systems than some bigger games, if it's a bigger game then it's a bit important to some people and would be part of a reason to buy a console but with some niche games, people would actually buy a system entirely for that game.
Click to expand...

I feel like, especially with the Vita, they should lean into the Japanese angle of the device as much as the Indies. Sure, they're PSP games, but they are still fairly notable titles.
 
cj_iwakura

cj_iwakura

Member
Takao said:
Malicious.

edit: cyborg skills
Click to expand...

I always assumed that was second/first party.


Also, OP Rainfall was a once in a lifetime thing. They also had a tangible plan of attack.


I tried something similar with Wizardry, and nothing came of it.
 
A

Abriael

Banned
I would definitely add The Legend of Heroes: Sen No Kiseki by Nihon Falcom

LegendOfHeroesSenNoKiseki-670x376.jpg


Here's the first 50 minute of the game if you want some mild spoilers and a lot of lovely JRPG action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-UxvSivTIg

It's the first Legend of Heroes on PS3 (and Vita), so it should have some pretty decent sales perspectives compared to the previous ones on PSP
 
G

gngf123

Member
Canis lupus said:
What was it then? I thought it was created to persuade Nintendo to bring over 3 Wii games overseas.
Click to expand...

Those were first party/second party games though, at least one of which was already translated (Xenoblade, not sure of the others).

Nintendo have been localizing a number of third party games for a while now, would be cool to see Sony doing more of it.
 
ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Sony will require the permission from the developers themselves. It takes both sides to ink the deal.
 
M

May16

Member
I don't see how anyone could ignore such notions when the guaranteed sales are almost TENS OF THOUSANDS!

(I love all these games, btw.)

ArtHands said:
Sony will require the permission from the developers themselves. It takes both sides to ink the deal.
Click to expand...

That's the thing. A lot of different groups will be wanting to not give something away and will be wanting a cut of the dough. Cut it up so many times and the shares get smaller and smaller. Eventually you're taking a risk for which you stand to gain very little, even if things go really well for you.

I'd loooove see some localizations of these games, especially the Yakuza ones, but it's not going to be an easy decision to make, and I don't begrudge the parties involved if they decide against it. Also shit sucks :(
 
A

Anteater

Member
I think Yakuza Ishin could be a hit if marketed right, especially if other platforms don't have the same kind of games, being foreign or not.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Abriael said:
I would definitely add The Legend of Heroes: Sen No Kiseki by Nihon Falcom
Click to expand...

But Sen no Kiseki is connected to Sora no Kiseki, Ao no Kiseki and Zero no Kiseki too. That entire arc is all connected and all of them are relevant to the overarching plot.

Before we get Sen, we HAVE to have Zero, Ao and the third chapter of Sora no Kiseki localized (SC is at least coming next year, thank god.)
 
F

Faustek

Member
So this is basically a larger effort of the #JRPGVita work?
Yeah why not. If Nintendo can lift its hand and Bring us Bravely Default Sony should definitely be able to bring us a few titles. I do believe Nintendo has the bigger wads of cash lying around thou but still! Sony should manage.

But I'm not really sure if Yakuza would be a good bet for Sony, perhaps take a game with an larger fanbase which wasn't tainted with crap?(Not saying the fanbase is crap but man is this stuck with a lot of hate atm.) Or build up the hype for it again. But remember that many of the V/O have the most retarded contracts ever(blaming their companies not them), like their Voice works not being usable outside of Japan thus forcing crappy dubs.


PS. Type-0 is already localized, just waiting for that PSN release come New Years....Maybe...perhaps...iOS?

PPS. Most importantly buy their games! Seen so many friends swearing by the blood of their parents that they are going to buy <insert game title> and then just ignoring it because it got a "crappy" score and some outright refusing to buy it because the company failed to localize Spin-off number 35 which even sold crap in Japan.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
Faustek said:
So this is basically a larger effort of the #JRPGVita work?
Click to expand...

That #JRPGVita was just something that Shahid came up with for recommendations of what people wanted to see on the Vita. This Third Party Production Team is a team that Sony setup specifically to help third party developers either translate their games or port them to various Sony platforms.
 
F

Faustek

Member
SolidSnakex said:
That #JRPGVita was just something that Shahid came up with for recommendations of what people wanted to see on the Vita. This Third Party Production Team is a team that Sony setup specifically to help third party developers either translate their games or port them to various Sony platforms.
Click to expand...

And I had no clue...Jebus McSnackCakes I love the gaming World but Lord Gaben has stolen most of my attention as of late. I need to read up on news...Well good thing I'm on GAF then :)

Anyway OnTopic:

I can't remember where but as I said, Type-0 is already localized, just missing publication.
 
T

theusedversion

Member
Aren't there a couple of Tales games for Vita that never made it here? I would buy those Day 1 at full price if they just bring them over.
 
A

Atolm

Member
LiquidSolid said:
It was a spinoff that even Yakuza fans avoided. Yakuza 3 and 4 did much better than that.
Click to expand...

No, they didn't. Yakuza 3 did 52k, 4 26k and DS 6k (NPD numbers, btw). Notice a trend there? The same happened with the PS2 entries, Y1 sold twice as much as Y2.

A re-release like Persona 4 Golden sold far better than any Yakuza. Same for SMTIV and even ultra-niche stuff from NIS.

No one buys Yakuza. It's a big risk because it's a lenghty and expensive localization and you don't know if sales are gonna make up. And Y5 has a script that it's twice aa big as Y4's. It's very easy to see why Sega won't touch it. It's not because they don't like money.
 
A

AOC83

Banned
Atolm said:
No, they didn't. Yakuza 3 did 52k, 4 26k and DS 6k (NPD numbers, btw). Notice a trend there? The same happened with the PS2 entries, Y1 sold twice as much as Y2.

A re-release like Persona 4 Golden sold far better than any Yakuza. Same for SMTIV and even ultra-niche stuff from NIS.

No one buys Yakuza. It's a big risk because it's a lenghty and expensive localization and you don't know if sales are gonna make up. And Y5 has a script that it's twice aa big as Y4's. It's very easy to see why Sega won't touch it. It's not because they don't like money.
Click to expand...

So 50 and 30 k in the US alone isn´t enough to pay for a localization? Sounds ridiculous, especially if you factor in that they don´t even need to release the games retail.
Nobody can tell me that they are blowing millions on a simple localization
 
L

LiquidSolid

Member
Atolm said:
No, they didn't. Yakuza 3 did 52k, 4 26k and DS 6k (NPD numbers, btw). Notice a trend there? The same happened with the PS2 entries, Y1 sold twice as much as Y2.

A re-release like Persona 4 Golden sold far better than any Yakuza. Same for SMTIV and even ultra-niche stuff from NIS.

No one buys Yakuza. It's a big risk because it's a lenghty and expensive localization and you don't know if sales are gonna make up. And Y5 has a script that it's twice aa big as Y4's. It's very easy to see why Sega won't touch it. It's not because they don't like money.
Click to expand...

Got a source for those numbers?

Ignoring the fact that you're wrong (DS very clearly had a much larger drop than 4), what exactly is your argument? That the Yakuza series doesn't even have the potential to sell as well or better than Atlus or NISA releases? To that I say bullshit. First, going solely off US sales is pretty stupid nowadays when it comes to niche Japanese series, as Namco have figured out with their focus on Europe. Second, even Atlus/NISA marketing would've been a huge improvement over Sega's dead silence (or worse, negative publicity surrounding the Yakuza 3 cuts).

The reality is that Sega, as well as most major publishers (like Square Enix), have no idea how to make or promote niche localisations. It's why they're almost never successful at doing them, while Atlus, XSEED and NISA do fairly well for themselves.
 
A

Atolm

Member
AOC83 said:
So 50 and 30 k in the US alone isn´t enough to pay for a localization? Sounds ridiculous, especially if you factor in that they don´t even need to release the games retail.
Nobody can tell me that they are blowing millions on a simple localization
Click to expand...

It isn't for a game of Yakuza's caliber.

Notice that this isn't only the localization done by a team of translators; you need to take time from the original programmers to re-insert the text and do QA. Which can be a lenghty process in some cases. And Sega is releasing a Ryu Ga Gotoku per year. It's not worth for them to pay a localization and then make their employees spend 2-3 months re-programming stuff when they could be working in a new installment which will sell 500k, compared to those ridiculos 6k from Dead Souls. Notice that this same thing happened as well with Grand Knights History : Vanillaware couldn't/didn't want to afford those programmers for localization while they had their hands full with Dragon's Crown.

Localizing further Yakuza games is a big risk. Because sales are going down and the scope of the games is increasing. Y5 as I said is twice as big as Y4 for all purposes, including script.

And as I said it's not because Sega doesn't like money. They do, and they would localize them if they thought there's a chance for sucess. But sales prove the opposite. The situation as it is, Sega thinks that SoA's limited resources are much better spent in stuff like Miku. Why would they take the risk, when the series has been failure after failure in the West, and the brand's name is forever tarnished in the mainstream market? Why would they spend money for marketing when there's zero guarantee of success?

Get real, people.

Edit: My numbers are regular NPD numbers. Check the monthly sales threads.
 
Pingween

Pingween

Member
If sales are the main problem, why no start a campaign for preorders and if it reaches x amount they green light the localization?
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
Atolm said:
No, they didn't. Yakuza 3 did 52k, 4 26k and DS 6k (NPD numbers, btw). Notice a trend there? The same happened with the PS2 entries, Y1 sold twice as much as Y2.

A re-release like Persona 4 Golden sold far better than any Yakuza. Same for SMTIV and even ultra-niche stuff from NIS.

No one buys Yakuza. It's a big risk because it's a lenghty and expensive localization and you don't know if sales are gonna make up. And Y5 has a script that it's twice aa big as Y4's. It's very easy to see why Sega won't touch it. It's not because they don't like money.
Click to expand...

Now compare the aggressive push that Atlus does whenever they're releasing a new game, particular those related to Persona, to the marketing that Sega puts into Yakuza. Note that Atlus of course doesn't do any sort of TV ad campaigns, but they do heavy pushes in terms of getting the press to take notice of their games as well as constantly updating with trailers, screens, doing interviews with various hardcore gamer websites (like Siliconera) as well as posting on the PSblog whenever it's something on PS platform. Sega barely does any of that for Yakuza. They just translate the games and then release them.

So it's no surprise that the series can't seem to gain any sort of traction. SoA doesn't give a shit about it. Dragon's Crown likely sold over 100k in its first month in the US when you combine its digital and retail sales, but Yakuza games can't near that number. There's no way that series doesn't have more appeal than DC. I'm not attacking DC since I love it, but i'm using it as an example since it's in a very niche genre compared to Yakuza. Once again you saw Atlus make a strong push with that game. They even sent a final version to IGN weeks in advance which led to them doing a Dragon's Crown. So the biggest gaming site on the net did a week long look at the game. Why can't Sega do anything like that for Yakuza?
 
L

LiquidSolid

Member
Atolm said:
Edit: My numbers are regular NPD numbers. Check the monthly sales threads.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to run around trying to verify your numbers. It's incredibly simple, post a source or shut up. Until then I'll assume that the source is your ass.

Though with your "Get real, people" it's obvious you're just trolling so whatever.
 
A

Atolm

Member
LiquidSolid said:
I'm not going to run around trying to verify your numbers. It's incredibly simple, post a source or shut up. Until then I'll assume that the source is your ass.

Though with your "Get real, people" it's obvious you're just trolling so whatever.
Click to expand...

I've been looking for the public posts detailing sales, but well, i couldn't find them. Only this: http://www.grcade.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29728

Which are the same NPD numbers that I have. You can believe them or not, up to you. The NPD numbers outside the Top 5-Top 10 are usually private, but I have them for the entire Yakuza franchise, including lifetime sales. I'd be delighted to share them over MP if someone's interested, but I won't publish them on a public forum since well, they're supposed to be private and could get some people in trouble.
 
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