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So much jp smut/fanservice games are localized in recent years, what changed?

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I still think the best localization thing ever was with Cho Aniki for the PSP in the USA.
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That logo.
Omg I remember that logo lol.
 
What changed is that there are far fewer actual quality JRPGs to localize on home console than there used to be. Only a matter of time before the same thing happens on handheld with mobile taking over (or has it started already?).
 
A lot of people are thinking localizers are suddenly on board... but I think it also has to do with Japanese developers being more open to the prospect of their games going international as well.

A lot of Japanese developers in the past had very little interest in the prospect and charged ridiculous amounts for localization rights. This was partly because many didn't want to "go back" to a game to aid in the work necessary for it (try having your English programmers debugging code commented in Japanese)... but you can see even more niche titles opening up in recent years.

For example, I'd never ever thought we'd have seen a game like Corpse Party make it international, but we not only saw it but one of the sequels to it.
 
Digital distribution really opened up the floodgates for that kind of stuff. At this point, everything is fair game except for the stuff that's borderline illegal.
 
It's because liking anime stuff isn't seen as that 'nerdy' anymore so you can be ironically cool by liking eroge.

Guys look i'm such a nerd XD *holds up neptunia dakimakura*
 
It's the only thing Japan makes anymore.

Well, either that or Mario.

You joke about this, but it's sad how things seem like this to people who don't know better. Some of the greatest games made in the last ten years are just not getting localized or have been in the process for many years, and a lot of the Compile Heart garbage that gets dumped on our shores is actually reviled by the Japanese too and has pretty low sales. Gotta remember it was the Japanese that came up with the nickname 'Idea Fuck' for Idea Factory.
 
Digital distribution, ease of communicating with potential buyers, better pathways between Japanese developers and localization companies. It's not like it's just "fanservice" games that benefit from this, though.
 
No, you really can't.

Says you! One or two more years of XSEED kusoge localizations and I'll unleash my eroge knowledge on NeoGAF and be voted in as new administrator.

No way. In what society lol

Well I was just kidding but just replace eroge with lewdge and it's sort of true. I don't think it has always been the case where simply showing a senran kagura box art would lead to pages of replies that are just jacknod.gif "xseed plzZZ" "day 1" "waifu for laifu preordering CE thank you based japan" etc. but now that's common enough.
 
Standards have reached rock bottom. It's why companies like NIS/aksys have stayed afloat and now xseed (sadly) wants a piece.

Not necessarily that standards have reached rock bottom, but people are more open with their tastes and desires now since today's society is much more open with acceptance than it was before. We still have a long way to go, but with nerds being the new cool in movies and media, it's not surprising that other similar cultures have become more well known. Anime is making another wave back into western cultures. With that comes interest into manga. Not to mention jrpg lovin' in the west seems to have grown, but I have no proof on numbers there just what I've seen with the internet.
 
That's a bit of an exaggeration. There's barely a handful. that hardly constitutes a flood. meanwhile we're still drowning in shooting dude games of various flavours.
 
These games are considered a high grade import product, and the demand for Eastern Moe/Waifu Products has not been met by the market.
The Western countries can't produce these products internally, and the best way to get these products is to import it from a country that can efficiently create them.
So Japan decides to export and increases the supply of moe to meet the demand of the Western market.
High profit, low cost for Japan.
Basically, economics 101.

I am partially serious too...
 
I know you guys are just joking, but it amazes me how some people think Japan only does waifu games these days.

Not the only thing they do, but they're the only ones who do it. And do it well.

Who else is going to fullfill the desires of that demographic of gamers if not the glorious Nippon-jin.

That is the one thing Japan still has that is grossly lacking amongst the big ticket Western devs who've got all gritty and dark in the past decade with fucking shooters (FPS/TPS/platformers that are disguised as TPS) and realism.

Diversity is never a bad thing, and localizations of all kinds should be applauded.
 
Digital distribution, ease of communicating with potential buyers, better pathways between Japanese developers and localization companies. It's not like it's just "fanservice" games that benefit from this, though.

Yep. basically the niches in each country can more easily be addressed as a whole via digital distribution at low cost, so the opportunity cost to support is low enough to make it viable.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more 'expressive' games, especially if they are also solid games. But yeah it still baffles me that senran kagura burst got localized, and got a T rating, same with conception 2 and recent compile heart garbage and some scenes in demon gaze... surprised they didn't censor.

We have xseed/atlus and other localization folks on gaf right? Was it just everyone was waiting for someone to be the 'first guy'? Or did some things change at nintendo/sony/ESRB that allows more... interesting games to be published in the states?

Honestly, a ton of games coming out in the east have those elements, these days.. so it's hard to seperate them from the genre. I love rpgs, and I'm able to tolerate some fan service if it means there are enjoyable aspects like good combat, customization, and character growth. I'm personally not huge on the ecchi/fanservice, but I did buy Demon Gaze and Conception 2. Senran Kagura get's a big no from me though, I'm not that desperate.

Quite a few classics have scenes that are fanservicey; like Lunar, Final Fantasy X-2, and Tales of Symphonia. I think it's always been there, but its becoming more prominent now because anime culture has changed. It's a bit disappointing, but I don't think games like this are complete lost causes.

I noticed that a lot of animes are going this route as well. Seems like the medium has become a niche inside a niche, with a more grounded show coming out every now and then-- but certainly not as often as they used to.
 
I don't care that hentai-like games with little or no gameplay value exist (Idea Factory, Compile Heart, NIS, etc).

I'm just disappointed some of my favorite series/genres are either disappearing or turning into those kinds of games. Advance Wars, Front Mission, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles, etc.
 
That's a bit of an exaggeration. There's barely a handful. that hardly constitutes a flood. meanwhile we're still drowning in shooting dude games of various flavours.

With current gen games getting more expensive, and localizations of portables getting cheaper and cheaper, we are seeing exactly that. There are less AAA shooters, and there are more wacky Japanese games which inevitably contain fanservice of one kind or another... Hell, even Nintendo is feeling fit to get in on it, though of course in their own way (Tomodachi Life).

It's not just "eroge", but titles like 999, Danganronpa, etc.

I don't care that hentai-like games with little or no gameplay value exist (Idea Factory, Compile Heart, NIS, etc).

I'm just disappointed some of my favorite series/genres are either disappearing or turning into those kinds of games. Advance Wars, Front Mission, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles, etc.

Let's be honest, A isn't the cause of B here. Also, Fire Emblem just got a new title not that long ago... it's not going anywhere, in fact it's in the best position it has been in the west since it's inception.
 
Aren't they bringing otome games and stuff over now too? What a world. In 5 years there will be a Love Plus made for the western audience.
 
I don't care that hentai-like games with little or no gameplay value exist (Idea Factory, Compile Heart, NIS, etc).

I'm just disappointed some of my favorite series/genres are either disappearing or turning into those kinds of games. Advance Wars, Front Mission, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles, etc.

The recent Fire Emblem was damn good though. I thought it was easily the most popular one, and still had a lot of complexity. You also weren't forced to do the relationship mechanics. Persona in general proved that people really enjoy this.
 
Many are probably testing the market for these sort of games with these sort of things. Persona's delving into this really is a side thought when you get down to the game, but the community garnered from it specifically can't be ignored. I wouldn't be surprised if the surge in popularity for Persona over recent years made people think there might be a notable enough market to sell to here. Though this is a hypothesis, at best.
 
I don't care that hentai-like games with little or no gameplay value exist (Idea Factory, Compile Heart, NIS, etc).

I'm just disappointed some of my favorite series/genres are either disappearing or turning into those kinds of games. Advance Wars, Front Mission, Fire Emblem, Valkyria Chronicles, etc.

Fire Emblem and VC are damn good games.

The waifu thing in FE was totally pandering to that audience and VC has started doing something like that as well iirc so I can see where your coming from.

Persona sets it apart from other games in a really good way that many people seem to enjoy. Social links are the way forward!
 
I think the advent of services like Crunchyroll making anime more accessible to a wider audience has grown the market for this type of content. Combined that with the cost savings of digital distribution and you get a financially profitable business model.

Personally I'd take this kind of game over the absolutely disgusting acts you can commit in GTA or the mindless shootbang of other "mainstream" games any day.
 
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