quote:
Originally posted by His Grey Eminence:
(Note: This is all opinion. I don't know what the particulars are concerning PeaPri's 'restructuring' any more than the rest of you do.)1. In contrast to the 'classics' of the genre, such as Season of the Sakura or True Love, PeaPri chose to translate software largely devoid of game-like elements, significant plot lines, and other aspects that would lend some crossover value with members of anime and/or gaming fandom; there is little to recommend most of their projects outside of the titillation value, limiting their market.
2. Presumably for the sake of having even a distant shot are a respectable profit margin, the games were given the same price as legitimate mainstream entertainment titles (i.e., $39 to $49). Considering the lack of replayability most of these games possess, the sort of people who'd be willing to shell out that sort of money for a few hours of playtime--and some wank images--has been demonstrated to be rather small.
3. Piracy. This has been the bane of the hentai game industry in the United States for as long as it's been around, as everyone knows. I think it's inherent in bringing any hardcore computer-based smut to market. That sort of thing attracts teenage males, and they probably make up the largest demographic bloc of dedicated warez traders. For example, poke around online for older games and you're much more likely to find run-of-the-mill smut like Paradise Heights or Immoral Studies, rather than an anime-themed game with some ecchi content, like TokyoPop's (neÈ Mixx's) Graduation. It isn't coincidental that the latter, ancient as it is, is still available for purchase.
Am I saying that PeaPri would've been more successful as a straight-ahead translator of worthwhile non-hentai Japanese games? Not necessarily. The American pornographic industry is huge and all, and anime-themed porn attracts a great deal more people than are interested in anime otherwise, but the prurient nature of this stuff and the audience most attracted to it agree on one thing: MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BUY IT. (Most people don't want to buy pornography at all any longer, it seems; I saw a recent article on the AP wire stating that print pornography was going begging on the newsstands for the first time in twenty-five years or so, simply due to the fact that its now available online without the cost or embarrassment.)They'll steal it, provided they can do so in anonymity, but they're rarely inclined to shell out any cash on its behalf. Everything was working against PeaPri, and it's no surprise what the end-result was.
You know, Peach Princess hasn't failed (yet), but why are you writing an article as if they were? Himeya brought over their respectable titles and they still had to fold their US operations to do solely mailing orders from Japan. Graduation may still be available for purchase, but that's only because it's left over from their original stock shipped out to retailers, and TokyoPop, formerly Mixx, sure isn't doing anymore games. $10.00 sure isn't selling the game at any profit, it's selling it at a loss. Princess Maker and Graduation were both attempts to bring over what you define to be 'worthwhile' games and despite the fairly liberal political atmosphere then, didn't make it big or was shut down prematurely. If Japanese companies perceive that we can't accept their biggest games, then there is little chance that any other games will come. I debunk your theory that the games Peach Princess translated, and this isn't Peach Princess's choice but the parent companies', are devoid of replay elements and are just 'a few wank images'. Would you prefer 'a lot of wank images' in your games then? Story doesn't even matter to you does it? Tokimeki Check-In has probably one the largest Anime/Game crossover theme, since Love Hina's creator Ken Akamatsu is a huge Bishoujo Game fan and his series Love Hina contains elements almost entirely derived from Bishoujo games, but you say this game doesn't have significant plot lines does it? Please give it a try and not just make these whimsical theories. Your theory is nothing new, it's said every so often by new visitors on this forum who deem themselves the moral voice of America.
