There could be numerous reasons why including the fact that the company that owns the rights to the game has not sold them to any of the companies that will translate them.
It is very possible they see more profit in an anime release too, and once more that could be a different company that owns the rights to the anime then the one that owns the rights to the game.
the latter is most likely the reason why the anime version is released in english but not the game itself; it’s managed by different companies. if you want the anime to be released, you bug the anime company; if you want the game tobe released, you bug the game company.
Yes, and someone needs to start bugging Leaf/AquaPlus a lot harder!
It’s sad, but often these popular games are the victims of their own popularity. I mean, when a game like Shusaku that sells 100,000+ copies at $88 a copy, it’s mighty hard for the company to take a chance on a small company like us. Japanese are very risk averse, so if there isn’t a lot of $$$ to offset any imagined risk to the company, they won’t go for it. Finally, the reason some of these games are popular is because they’ve been shared/traded/pirated by most bishoujo game fans. This is another minus from the licensing standpoint. Would someone who downloaded a game once in Japanese then pay $50 for it in English? The cool folks on this site, yes, but most so-so fans would probably be less likely to pay for it.
I don’t know Peter, you are giving them a translated version. I would hope some of them would like to understand what they are playing Plus you also got uncensored graphics, which would up sales. They might fear reverse inporting though where japanese fans try to get the US version for unmosiaced graphice, less price or both.
I don’t think that the Japanese market needs to worry too much about reverse importing because by the time a bishoujo game is translated into English, it’s already pretty old in Japan. A couple years old at least. So the game has already made its main profits. I bet that a lot of Japanese gamers who buy US versions already own the Japanese version. I know that Comic Party and To Heart are super popular, but maybe Leaf/AquaPlus would licence out Utwareru Mono with less fear. I’m not sure how well this game sold in Japan, but I bet that it did well. I bought it (NOT downloaded) and I’d buy it again if PeaPri translated it. But then again I post on this BBS which is Peter’s point exactly.
Ya, I’d totally buy Dacrows and Wordsworth.
I’d also buy Japanese games too even with overpricing and the shipping costs but then again maybe not because I can’t read the Kanji and I play for the story not the sex. Hey how does buying japanese games work? I’ve only bought some overseas items before and most were on eBay like that Jet Li movie that is coming out this summer “Hero”. Ha I’ve already seen it before most of the people in North America.
[This message has been edited by tiger_of_the_wind2040 (edited 05-26-2004).]
It works the best if you’re running Windows 2000 or XP. I have XP. You should set the language for non-Unicode programs to Japanese. Then when you put the installation disc into the computer, all the kanji and kana should display correctly. You should be able to install a game with no problem. Games that are made to run on old OS (98) don’t work as well on the English version of Windows 98. I’ve heard that Wordsworth has trouble running on Windows XP. If you have a decent PC then you should be able to run the bluk of the games that are sold on Himeya Shop. Just don’t trust the info that Himeya Shop gives. Sometimes they say that a game is only for Win 95/98 when really it is for 98/Me/2000/XP. You should always check the official Japanese website to make sure. If you have a Japanese game and you don’t know how to change the language for non-Unicode programs to Japanese, you can e-mail me and I’ll tell you how to do it. It’s simple, and don’t worry, you’re computer’s menus won’t all be in Japanese. That would be scary.