Topic: Nintendo to localize Japan only games....

[BlackNMild2k1]

...to smooth the transition from DS/i to 3DS

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-05-nintendo-sees-quirky-future-for-ds

With the release of the 3DS imminent, you'd imagine the old DS model was staring down a bleak future. Not so, insists Nintendo.

CEO Satoru Iwata has told investors that Nintendo plans to localise previously Japan-only games as a way of keeping up a flow of new content for the handheld.

"If we should use too many of our development resources in order to maintain the Nintendo DS market, we would not be able to realise a sound launch for Nintendo 3DS," he explained.
[...]
[My summary: Some titles are not made with global releases in mind and some others just haven't been localized]
[...]
"As a result, some software has already proved its marketability in Japan but is still not available in the overseas markets, and for some software titles, our localisation teams are currently spending time to localise them.

"Taking advantage of such software may be one of the ways to deal with your question about the transitional period from Nintendo DS to Nintendo 3DS," he proposed.

source: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/101029qa/02.html

So while the article suggest games like Chibi Robo, Fire Emblem, Tingle (Freshly Picked Rupee Land), Soma Bringer and Tomodachi Collection
I think this may also be a strategy for the Wii too... at least we can hope. We may one day see a US release for Disaster, or Fatal Frame 4 or dozens of other games that have yet to make their way to worldwide release.

[Spak-Spang]

This is a great idea.  Nintendo can continue to release great DS titles that haven't yet been introduced to America and then possibly even create a new successful IP for America.

[Shaymin]

Would this just be for Nintendo-developed games, or is there the possibility of other publishers getting in on this?

(7th Dragon. Please. Rieko Kodama needs the royalties.)

[Stratos]

ZOMG! Could my tears be at an end? Soma Bringer and ASH finally arriving?

And then you coax my reclusive hope out even farther by pointing out how lost Wii titles could also come over.

[noname2200]

Will kill for Tomodachi Collection localization.  Will settle for Last Window localization.

[Stratos]

Tomodachi shouldn't be localized. It should be enhanced and remade to work with the 3DS's online infrastructure and StreetPass.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Tomodachi shouldn't be localized. It should be enhanced and remade to work with the 3DS's online infrastructure and StreetPass.

But they are saving that for the 3DS sequel that we won't see until just after the HoloDS is released in 2016 to ease the transition from 3DS.

[Adrock]

Archaic Sealed Heat.

[Mop it up]

And then you coax my reclusive hope out even farther by pointing out how lost Wii titles could also come over.

Yeah really. That's what I hope comes of this. If Nintendo doesn't have much besides Zelda for next year, I could see them localizing some of the current Japan-only games.

[KDR_11k]

They mention Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, not Rosy Rupeeland.

[BlackNMild2k1]

They mention Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, not Rosy Rupeeland.

I read it quickly and they mention Rupeeland by name(not Balloon Trip), it just so happens that they were talking about it's sequel which I know nothing of.

If that turns out to be the case, the DS's twilight years could prove rather interesting. Among the titles Nintendo has yet to release in the West are a new entry in its excellent Fire Emblem strategy series, a sequel to the fun Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol and a follow-up to the bonkers Zelda spin-off Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

but that still doesn't  change the point I was trying to make.

[Peachylala]

Tomodachi shouldn't be localized. It should be enhanced and remade to work with the 3DS's online infrastructure and StreetPass.

This.

[Miyamoto]

I ordered Inazuma 11 from France this week (if you've been listening to RFN you'll know about the debacle regarding the UK release), it was pretty pricey including shipping. I hope it's worth it. So is there an official list of games Nintendo are bringing to the west?

[Stratos]

So is there an official list of games Nintendo are bringing to the west?

It's Nintendo. The list is something like this: They are coming.

[Chozo Ghost]

You'd think this would be a no brainer anyway. The games are already made, so why not localize them? It can't cost much to slap together an English translation of these games and put them out in the west where they can print more money for Nintendo. Of course I understand that some games won't do well in western markets, but since all they have to do is translate them they don't even need to sell much to make it worth while.

[Ymeegod]

Hell I just glad to get Fire Emblem III (I think it's 3 anyhow).  Hopefully they add more updated features than merely port a nearly 20 year old game like in Shadow Dragon.

[Mop it up]

The games are already made, so why not localize them? It can't cost much to slap together an English translation of these games and put them out in the west where they can print more money for Nintendo.

It depends on the game. Something like The Last Story has a lot of voice acting in it which can be pricey to re-record in English.

[ShyGuy]

I've always thought for the demographic that the Japanese RPG market sells to, not dubbing the voices into English but just having captions would be more appealing.

[Sarail]

I've always thought for the demographic that the Japanese RPG market sells to, not dubbing the voices into English but just having captions would be more appealing.

Bingo. I'm of that classification. I'd rather have Japanese voices with English subs. I just find it more entertaining that way. Makes me truly feel like I'm involved in another person's story and world.

[Chozo Ghost]

The games are already made, so why not localize them? It can't cost much to slap together an English translation of these games and put them out in the west where they can print more money for Nintendo.

It depends on the game. Something like The Last Story has a lot of voice acting in it which can be pricey to re-record in English.

I'm sure there are people who would volunteer to do it for free.

[Ian Sane]

You could argue that those who would be cool with subtitles will buy the game anyway.  But you're completely pissing away any chance of the game being anymore than a cult hit.  If you redub the voices in English you'll sell to the geeks who would dig subtitles and more.

Remember that during the Playstation days there was a time where RPGs were big hits in North America with widespread appeal.  Well, at least Square's titles were like that.  I don't know if others were.  Because of that any American publisher is going to have Final Fantasy VII in their back of their mind.  "What if this game starts another RPG boom?"  If you stick with sub-titles, it won't.  If you translate it then it COULD.

In Nintendo's case they are very much boom or bust.  They don't want cult hits or critical darlings.  They want big mainstream hits every single time.  So an untranslated sub-titled RPG is never going to be a possibility.

[NWR_insanolord]

You'll never see any third party take any kind of risk with a high profile game on the Wii again. There's a reason the original, RE4-style Resident Evil game we've all wanted is coming on the 3DS instead of the Wii. Third parties have more or less abandoned the Wii because of the sales wasteland it is, partially because of Nintendo's policies but mostly because of the way they themselves treated the platform in its first few years.

[Morari]

The games are already made, so why not localize them? It can't cost much to slap together an English translation of these games and put them out in the west where they can print more money for Nintendo.

It depends on the game. Something like The Last Story has a lot of voice acting in it which can be pricey to re-record in English.

Don't re-record the dialogue then. Simply subtitle it and move on. It works for films just fine. In fact, I'd say that subtitling is almost always preferable to dubbing, no matter the medium.

[BlackNMild2k1]

The games are already made, so why not localize them? It can't cost much to slap together an English translation of these games and put them out in the west where they can print more money for Nintendo.

It depends on the game. Something like The Last Story has a lot of voice acting in it which can be pricey to re-record in English.

Don't re-record the dialogue then. Simply subtitle it and move on. It works for films just fine. In fact, I'd say that subtitling is almost always preferable to dubbing, no matter the medium.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Release it subbed and then if it hits a sales milestone among the fans, maybe release a special dubbed version that was funded by sales of the subbed version.

[fiendcode]

Archaic Sealed Heat.

There's a fully localized english version of this floating around in the bowels of Treehouse.  I doubt we'll ever see it though, the game's really just not good or all that marketable, even by niche SRPG standards.




What I think we might see would be semi-recentish stuff like Fire Emblem III, Jam with the Band, Super Fossil Fighters, Last Window, etc.  I also think we'll see some 3rd party pickups (Layton 4, DQMJ2, Ninokuni, etc) and of course the few new 1st party games left (Kirby, Pokemon Typing, etc).