Hi there, a couple of questions for the xseed staff

[Pachamac]

Hey guys! I just had a couple of questions for wyrdward or any other xseed staff who might be able to help me.

With xseed registering on steam it seems like a nobrainer that LoH: Tits FC is gonna go up there eventually, leading it to also be the most likely option for SC, but I was wondering whether or not if and when xseed does it, will they be able to publish it in European/UK territories of Steam? I know that for the physical and psn release of it, Ghostlight was the publisher. I'm just wondering whether or not that'd extend to a possible Steam release, and thus if it does, UK gamers would be out of luck since to the best of my knowledge, Ghostlight aren't registered on Steam? Would be an absolutely crying shame if it was, I know I've got a few friends who'd definitely be willing to purchase and play a Steam release...

Also, are xseed considering releasing the Zero no Kiseki Vita version? I understand any chance of that coming is a long, long way away, especially with regards to translation as well, but from what I'm aware, being the start of a new storyarc means it doesn't neccessarily have to rely on the previous three games' release, not to mention that the Vita being a current and supported system means some of the other problems plaguing SC would be averted. I also like to think it'd be nice to hit the ground running, as opposed to the... what, 6 year delay between FC's release and it ever seeing Western shores, lol.

Hope the team and all the fans are doing ok!

[Wyrdwad]

I don't think you have anything to worry about, Steam-wise. Unless we're actively unable to do so for some reason I can't even imagine, any future Steam titles we release should be available worldwide. If those titles happen to have iterations on consoles or handhelds, those iterations will be dealt with as separate entities.

As for Zero no Kiseki, though it is the start of a new story arc, it very much expects its players to have prior knowledge of events from the Trails trilogy, so I don't believe we would work on it before tackling its predecessors. It's the same with Ao no Kiseki -- we'd need to release Trails 2, Trails 3 and Zero no Kiseki before we'd even consider it, I think.

Nayuta no Kiseki remains a mystery, however. It seems so far distanced from the rest of the series, it just might prove to be a viable candidate for a standalone release. I'm greatly looking forward to finding out more information about it (and playing it, of course!) so I can decide whether or not to shelve it for some rainy day far in the future... or start nudging my coworkers more and more violently until they finally give in and let me translate it.

-Tom

[Pachamac]

Ooh, thanks for the really quick reply! That definitely helps alleviate my worries! =D Is there any particular reason why that wasn't the case for the psp version of Trails, considering you guys managed to release Ys and Corpse Party over in the UK (even if only digital releases) or was that just part of the terms with Falcom?

[Serge]

Being able to download a game from a site is simple everywhere (it doesn't matter if you are on New Zealand or in Italy, you just have to browse on internet and download it), but that's not the case when you want to sell the game on a retail market: the game has traveled a HUGE chain between XSEED and the final consumer, and that implies a lot of costs for XSEED to support this chain. Isn't it Tom?

[Chaosblade]

There are other issues as well, such as being licensed by the platform holder for releases in that region, and dealing with the ratings board for that region. Don't really know all the details, just that it's a lot easier with Steam since it's essentially international by default and doesn't require ESRB/PEGI/whatever ratings.

[Wyrdwad]

Ooh, thanks for the really quick reply! That definitely helps alleviate my worries! =D Is there any particular reason why that wasn't the case for the psp version of Trails, considering you guys managed to release Ys and Corpse Party over in the UK (even if only digital releases) or was that just part of the terms with Falcom?

You mean why we didn't release Trails in Europe ourselves? That one's easy: It was because Ghostlight wanted to do it. (: If we release a game in Europe ourselves, it can ONLY be digital -- like, we don't even really have the option of releasing a game physically in Europe since we have no physical presence there ourselves. So whenever we release a game here in North America, one of the first things we do is check with other companies to see if they might be interested in releasing it overseas. If any of them are, we'll negotiate a contract with that company (if possible) so that Europeans get a devoted (usually physical) release to call their own.

...And the anti-DD people still claim we hate our fans!

-Tom

[SIN]

I usually never do this, but I will probably double-dip and get this again on steam. If I get enough money, I'd really love the premium edition since I got mine on PSN and didn't know I'd love it this much!

[Wyrdwad]

Just to be clear, that's assuming we release it on Steam! We haven't announced anything of the sort -- this is all just speculation right now. (:

-Tom

[SIN]

Just to be clear, that's assuming we release it on Steam! We haven't announced anything of the sort -- this is all just speculation right now. (:

-Tom

Yes there should be more "ifs" on some comments!

[Chaosblade]

I try to add "ifs" to things I say. There's always uncertainty in the future.

Sometimes, things are just reeeaaally unlikely though.

But I don't think Trails on Steam is one of those things.

Ha, if anyone caught that before the edit.