Quote:
Originally Posted by MakubeX2
Now, why does it always have to be a appealing to mass market in order for a turnabout in profit for the western gaming market to work since Anime had always been a niched circle anyway ?
Just how does following the Japanese example of appealing to that circle while keeping the price at a reasonably high rate a failure on the other side of the Pacific ?
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There isn't a Western equivalent of the loyal otaku market in Japan that would tolerate a higher premium price for such games, really. Most people who would be interested in Japanese games ported over in the first place are also general gamers. They talk of Bioshock and Dragon Age in the same general manner as they do Final Fantasy and Devil May Cry or, yes, Super Robot Wars. Likewise, the vast majority of the anime fans in North America are young, relatively cash-strapped, have diverse interests and would not be devoted enough to certain appeals as a group to follow such a model.
Are there those who would prioritize mecha crossovers and visual novels over more "mainstream" Japanese games? Yes, all five of them per city or some such. Reduce that to one or two for those willing to pay premium in the manner of Japanese otaku. Unfortunately that's not nearly enough to establish a consistent presence in the already heavily pressured "retail shelf space" of North American video game retail market.
Is it possible to establish a successful niche for a video game? Definitely.
This game sold very little compared to the next Halo but it made a tidy profit for its creators and won them a devoted niche.
These guys straddle the line between mainstream and niche -- their media presence and sales numbers had grown but still also little in context. But as you can see their topics of interest are different, they have established successful online distribution models and word of mouth (an international "niche" maintained through the Internet is freed from the pressure of having to rely on the shelf space), and most importantly they are selling their game and not the related popular culture appeal.
The people who are bringing more obscure Japanese titles over are both fighting a losing battle and doing it wrong. On one hand the related Japanese popular culture appeal isn't nearly as strong in the West as it would in Japan; on the other hand if they're doing it like they would in bringing another Tales game over then they would end up competing head to head with said Tales games and even bigger titles, and that's not going to cut it. You need to create a niche in the first place before you'd even think of fleecing them -- err, establish a different business model with them.
In some sense the geography itself is an enemy. All the otaku in, say, the greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area could with relative ease gather at one locale to shop, meaning that even if the percentage of the population that would follow such a model is similar, a shop in Akihabara specializing in such goods can stay afloat. Following such a thing in suburban, car-based America? Not going to happen.
P.S. This has nothing to do with the Sankaku nonsense.