anime PC games - do you want more?

[shadowplay]

Originally Posted by Benoit

Don't be so sure of that. They survive, yes, but barely. Piracy is a big thorn in their eyes.
If the situation continues as it is now, there's a good chance the company won't be able to make it to the future in a couple of years.

Piracy is problem for EVERY software company/publisher not just them, again I don't believe they would be countinuing with what they do unless there's some sort of profit.

To answer initial poster
- Would you buy an anime PC game based on a series that you hadn’t seen or would you only be interested in games based on anmie/manga you already know about
Again the only PC games I'd be buying are bishoujo/eroge, doesn't matter whether they were turned into anime if they're quality ones.

- What types of formats would you like to see for anime PC games (RTS, MMORPG, RPG, dating sim – quite a few of them are dating sims)
See above

- What are some ways to get fans involved in the process of getting the games ready for market (have fans work on translation, pick titles to bring over, booths at conventions, promotion/reviews on Adult Swim, etc…)
Depends what sort of fans. Big interactive, frequently updated website with news that covers that area of gaming along with forums, databases, polls, goodie downloads (wallpapers, icons and so on) would be good enough for a start, after that I dunno, i think word should be spread onto other media.

- What are some possible things that could mess up games in the fans’ eyes
Bad translation. Something that would be nice are LE (limited edition) version of the games, usually bundled with figures, music cds, keychains, t-shirts and other silly stuff. Y'know the way they do it in Japan. I think something like that would also attract some of the pirate ppl to actually buy the games.

[domino]

- Do you know of any companies does this now :

No, but I know people who translate anime games for free and do a very good job of it.

- Who would be the primary demographic for this type of thing (would it be title-specific or are people hard up enough to play what they can get their hands on?)

If they were inexpensive ($30 or less) I would consider buying anything that looks interesting. If they are as expensive as Japanese PC games ($40 to as much as even $100 for one game!), I would only buy it if I had heard really good things about the series.

- Are people interested in these types of titles (list at the bottom)

I have never heard of any of these titles (from your list), so no, I am not interested in these. (I would have to learn more about their genre, artwork, play style, etc). Are they dating sims or other kinds of strange sim games? Because I think most anime fans have an interest in sim games.

- What kind of demand is there for these titles (if you had to guess, how many copies of lesser known PC games could you move)
I think there should be a greater supply for people like me who like anime PC games that are not adult PC games. Because many new anime fans I see are young female manga fans, I think selling youth-friendly simulation games in manga aisles at bookstores would be nice. I bet younger anime fans would like this too.

- What are some ways to get fans involved in the process of getting the games ready for market (have fans work on translation, pick titles to bring over, booths at conventions, etc…)

I've seen fans that do excellent translations for free. Imagine what they could accomplish if they were offered money to do their hobby! I think fans should have a say in things. If several anime games of different genres are released, every anime fan should be pleased and show their support. As a fan, I already advertise my favorite Japanese PC game, Angelique Etoile, at conventions. All I have to do is carry around a plastic card with the pictures of the characters on them. Literally DOZENS of people have stopped me in the middle of convention hallways to ask me what anime the picture was from and where they could get one too. ^^;

- What is the best way to translate the games (fans vs. professionals)

Fans. Definately fans. They're the ones who will buy the games, after all. :P I think happy fans can have a big impact on a series' popularity (example: Fullmetal Alchemist on cartoon network). Oh, and any anime PC game should have a Japanese voice option as well as an English option. I know many fans who don't buy English Playstation 2 games if they take out the Japanese voices, and vice-versa: there are English fans who don't want to hear the Japanese. (I prefer the original Japanese voices with English text)

- What are some possible things that could mess up games in the fans’ eyes

In my eyes, I wouldn't like it if only one audience was targeted. I am not interested in seeing any more action or hentai games translated into English, so in my opinion, things need to be fixed.


The games I would like to see most in English are NON-HENTAI DATING SIMS!! Due to recent success of shoujo romance manga (which tend to not be fanservicey like male romances like Love Hina), I think English dating sims are something that both girls and guys would like to play. The PC dating sim games I'd like to see most in English are:

1. Angelique Etoile - Available in Japan on PC and Playstation 2. This is the latest (2004 release) edition of Koei's popualar Angelique series that has been running 10 years in Japan. There's a romantic dating sim element, high-quality anime cutscenes, Japan's most famous voice actors, and a "Sim City" type element of raising a country to beat your rival.

2. Tokimeki Memorial / Tokimeki Memorial GS - Another non-hentai dating sim game that would please everyone, not only because it's a fun series, but because there are two versions: one where you get to date girls, and another where you can date boys.

3. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - The game that the current TV series was based on. It was made by the same people as Angelique, so it's a similar dating sim. But instead of Angelique's country raising mode, Harukanaru has RPG-style battles between the story parts of the game.

I'd list more but this post is too long. ^_^; I feel strongly about dating sims (as you can probably tell), so if any of the games on my list (or similar to them) get translated into English, I will be very happy!

[Benoit]

Piracy is problem for EVERY software company/publisher not just them, again I don't believe they would be countinuing with what they do unless there's some sort of profit.

Peach Princess and G-Collections suffer more from them than your regular software company. They don't have the funds regular software companies have.
Remember, this is a niche market, and an extremely small one at that.
The reality is different than you think. Often they pay out of their own pockets because of their love for these games. But they can't keep doing it forever.

[Lina Inverse]

Originally Posted by domino

- Do you know of any companies does this now :
No, but I know people who translate anime games for free and do a very good job of it.

I don't know any either, but if you would offer these guys money for what they already enjoy doing for free, they'd gladly do it.

Originally Posted by domino

- Who would be the primary demographic for this type of thing (would it be title-specific or are people hard up enough to play what they can get their hands on?)
If they were inexpensive ($30 or less) I would consider buying anything that looks interesting. If they are as expensive as Japanese PC games ($40 to as much as even $100 for one game!), I would only buy it if I had heard really good things about the series.

Yes, I think $30 would be the max. Above that, I'd only buy it if I heard it's really damn good.

Originally Posted by domino

- Are people interested in these types of titles (list at the bottom)
Are they dating sims or other kinds of strange sim games? Because I think most anime fans have an interest in sim games.

Those wouldn't be bad, and Rpgs would be nice as well... I'm not limited to that sort of games, only thing I really wouldn't want is more Pukemon/Digimon/DBZ crap.

Concerning the games, I've already heard that Y's 6 should be quite good, and I might be interested in the Galaxy Angel Games as well (if I knew what they were). Don't know the others.

Originally Posted by domino

- What kind of demand is there for these titles (if you had to guess, how many copies of lesser known PC games could you move)
I think there should be a greater supply for people like me who like anime PC games that are not adult PC games. Because many new anime fans I see are young female manga fans, I think selling youth-friendly simulation games in manga aisles at bookstores would be nice. I bet younger anime fans would like this too.

You really should be careful with the term "youth-friendly" - it could be misunderstood as "adapted for kiddies" - which is by far the very last thing we'd want
Let's better say "non-ero-games".

Originally Posted by domino

- What are some ways to get fans involved in the process of getting the games ready for market (have fans work on translation, pick titles to bring over, booths at conventions, etc…)
I think fans should have a say in things. If several anime games of different genres are released, every anime fan should be pleased and show their support. As a fan, I already advertise my favorite Japanese PC game, Angelique Etoile, at conventions.

Involving the fans would be a very good idea - after all they're the future costumers! I'm also sure they would be pleased and gladly advertise the game.

Originally Posted by domino

- What is the best way to translate the games (fans vs. professionals)
Fans. Definately fans. They're the ones who will buy the games, after all. :P I think happy fans can have a big impact on a series' popularity (example: Fullmetal Alchemist on cartoon network). Oh, and any anime PC game should have a Japanese voice option as well as an English option. I know many fans who don't buy English Playstation 2 games if they take out the Japanese voices, and vice-versa: there are English fans who don't want to hear the Japanese. (I prefer the original Japanese voices with English text)

It's very important to keep the original Japanese voices! Many won't want to buy it if they're missing. As keeping them is really no effort, there's no good reason not to do it.
Another reason to go by fans it that the result it much closer to the original.

Originally Posted by domino

- What are some possible things that could mess up games in the fans’ eyes
In my eyes, I wouldn't like it if only one audience was targeted.

i.e. it should be amrketed also having the adult audience in mind! Those certainly wouldn't want some dumbed down, censored like hell kiddie version. There must not be censorship of any kind, and the translation should be as close to the original as possible - "Americanizations" of any kind will definitely kill any interest in the game! If really deemed neccessary, create two versions, one for a younger audience and one for a mature audience.

[bishounen_blue]

I agree with what the others are saying. Keeping the original Japanese voices is a must. I wouldn't recommend MMORPG games at all because most people only play one MMORPG at a time, and there are bigger and more famous MMORPGs already available compared with something a small company could provide. Small companies are best off providing specialty items that people can't get from larger companies. One thing to keep in mind with bishoujo games is that some are erotic games and some are not. If your company wants to translate both kinds of games, your company should use two different brand names, just like AquaPlus and Leaf.

[drtaylor]

wow

you guys are coming up with some really quality insights, you're lining up with what i'm seeing as overall market trends and coming up with some creative marketing/packaging ideas

i have to say, i started out fairly skeptical about the prospects for this kind of thing, but it sounds like it really could be profitable as long as it was fan-driven as far as what gets released and some checks are put in to make sure that everything is up to par before it's put out there

really with what i'm saying i think it it's possible to build a case for selling 20k copies of games through web distribution it would come out in the black

do you think it sounds unreasonable to expect to sell 20k copies of something like this - and do you think it would be a value booster to bundle with say figures, anime, or manga?

thanks again for the input

[domino]

Originally Posted by drtaylor

wow

you guys are coming up with some really quality insights, you're lining up with what i'm seeing as overall market trends and coming up with some creative marketing/packaging ideas

i have to say, i started out fairly skeptical about the prospects for this kind of thing, but it sounds like it really could be profitable as long as it was fan-driven as far as what gets released and some checks are put in to make sure that everything is up to par before it's put out there

really with what i'm saying i think it it's possible to build a case for selling 20k copies of games through web distribution it would come out in the black

do you think it sounds unreasonable to expect to sell 20k copies of something like this - and do you think it would be a value booster to bundle with say figures, anime, or manga?

thanks again for the input

I don't think depending 100% on web distribution would be a good idea. The internet is a huge place, and there are lots of games already out there, but no one has heard of them. I think it would be best to advertise directly to the market (advertise for games in the backs of manga that would have the same audience as the game or make cardboard advertisement stands and put them in manga sections of bookstores). Convention booths would also be a good place to sell games. I see Japanese games sell at conventions a lot, even if the people who buy them don't know how to read Japanese. ^_^;

If it was a really good series (cough Angelique cough), I would pay extra for a "special edition" box set. Japanese games usually come out in a normal edition and a special edition. Special editions with postcards, jewelry, pencil boards, manga, CDs, figures, etc. small trinkets would be a nice option to have. Here are example goods that come with special edition versions of games. Extra stuff is nice to have. :P

[GG_Luna128]

I think you should forget about MMORPGs, you need servers and manteniance, if the company is willing to pay for it, ok, but I hardly think it will be profitable.

I wonder if the market for PC Games in the US is between action games and dating sims (lol). The action games for consoles are quite a bit, also they have a lot of dating sims.

Nothing more to say from my part...

Tokimeki Memorial. I'd kill to get Tokimeki Memorial (and/or its successors) translated.

Don't we all?

[Madlax26]

I personally think Noir ,would be a very game for PC. I hope your idea works.

[DaFool]

You know I was about to seriously give input until I looked at the date stamp on the posts -_-.

A similar topic has been raised recently, the best thing one can do now is just participate in Hirameki Intl survey. Wait a minute...could this guy be...???