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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_Josh on February 08, 2011, 03:50:07 PM

Title: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: NWR_Josh on February 08, 2011, 03:50:07 PM

Hudson Entertainment, the US subsidiary, is shutting its after seven years.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/25103

Today it was announced the Hudson Entertainment is closing down. Hudson Soft, the parent company, is located in Tokyo, Japan. Recently, the entirety of Hudson Soft was acquired by Konami, and the publisher intends to boost its social gaming division through Hudson's mobile and online gaming experience.

The blog by Morgan Haro, product and brand manager for the company, states "It was revealed today that all of Hudson's previously planned projects have been canceled and that our office will be closing it’s doors at the end of February."

Hudson Entertainment was responsible for bringing Hudson’s games to North American territories, such as the Bomberman games, Star Soldier R, and other Nintendo DS and Wii titles as well as games on other platforms.

Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: ShyGuy on February 08, 2011, 04:31:45 PM
Now this is one third party I didn't want to see shut down. Who will be distributing Bomberman in the US? Konami?
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: TJ Spyke on February 08, 2011, 04:41:42 PM
That would be my best guess. I wonder if it will have actual effect in the future of if the only real change will be the logo on the box.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Ian Sane on February 08, 2011, 05:12:45 PM
I knew Konami owned Hudson so when I first saw this I felt a little sad thinking that another piece of my childhood was now gone for good.  Then I read "seven years".  I have no nostalgia for a North American subsidary that has only existed in my adulthood!  So I feel pretty indifferent.  This is really just a formality.  I don't even own any games published by Hudson Entertainment.  With a bit of quick research it is the long defunct Hudson Soft USA that was responsible for distributing the games of my youth.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Kytim89 on February 08, 2011, 09:22:29 PM
What does this mean for the Virtual Console?
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: TJ Spyke on February 08, 2011, 09:37:00 PM
Nothing. Hudson has just been part of Konami since long before the Wii was released, so I don't see Konami deciding to pull their support now.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on February 09, 2011, 12:26:25 AM
Kind of sad. I guess Bonk: Brink of Extinction was a fitting title.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Kytim89 on February 09, 2011, 12:48:07 AM
Quote from: Jonnyboy117 on February 09, 2011, 12:26:25 AM
Kind of sad. I guess Bonk: Brink of Extinction was a fitting title.

Why is that?
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Scatt-Man on February 09, 2011, 01:03:46 AM
Road Runner for the SNES was terribad. GOOD RIDDANCE! I kid, I kid. *Hugs to Hudson* ...Wonder if they had a hand in my local market.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: TJ Spyke on February 09, 2011, 10:46:34 AM
Quote from: Kytim89 on February 09, 2011, 12:48:07 AM
Quote from: Jonnyboy117 on February 09, 2011, 12:26:25 AM
Kind of sad. I guess Bonk: Brink of Extinction was a fitting title.

Why is that?

Because it was a Hudson game (likely their last one) and now they themselves are extinct.
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: KisakiProject on February 09, 2011, 03:24:12 PM
:'(
 
I hope Konami still brings out Bomberman 3DS and release Bonk Brink of Extinction.
 
I feel guilty not getting lost in shadow.  To bad my release calender is full for the next few months.
 
Turbographx is the thing I download the most VC games of.  Hudson you were underappreciated. 
 
RIP.
 
Call of Duty gen claims another.
 
 
Title: Re: Hudson Entertainment Shutting Down
Post by: Ian Sane on February 09, 2011, 04:37:27 PM
One thing that I figure did Hudson no favours was that for a long time I've seen them as more of a retro company.  They have Bonk, Adventure Island, Bomberman, Star Soldier and were doing Mario Party.  But that seems to be all they do.  What absolutely must-play games have they released since the first Mario Party?  It's like the same stuff again and again.  They had a time where they were proliferic with new concepts but then things became very stale.  Taito is another company that is very similar.  It was a big Japanese developer but over time they seemed to cease creating interesting new content and we just got variations of Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders.  Now they pretty much don't exist anymore and are owned by a bigger company, just like Hudson.

Meanwhile the parent companies, Square Enix and Konami, have remained relevent.  They have their favourite franchises they like to milk but they do new stuff, too.  They seem current and not like some retro company that makes cookie-cutter nostalgia games.  That makes all the difference.

I think it shows the perils of resting on your laurels.  Hudson might have been doing well releasing annual Mario Party games but where did that get them in the long run?  The failure to innovate and the utter frequency of titles made the series unessential.  Same with Bomberman.  Bomberman is lots of fun but it is so stale.  If you've played one Bomberman, you've played them all.  It's a series where you clearly need to have one title but you only need ONE title and you've got your Bomberman fill.  Compare that to something like Zelda where there is a clear incentive to play every single game in the series.

Interesting that Kisaki called this the "Call of Duty" gen.  Call of Duty will probably sink Activision like Hudson's stale franchises sunk them.  Frequent sequels with little to distingish between them is the path to failure.  And Activision does nothing else and is open about only being interested in IP that can be exploited.  Like how Hudson went from being an innovative company on the T-16 to "those Bomberman guys", Activision will become "those Call of Duty guys" if they aren't that already.

You don't want to get stuck in a rut.  This is why it is important to take risks with new IP and not rely on sequels all the time.  Videogame companies that get stuck in a rut, fail.