XSEED's Next Mystery Title!

[PurpleDoom]

Sadly, a UMD release is actually *not* very likely for any niche PSP titles publishers release from here on out, as producing UMDs, cases and instruction manuals costs quite a bit of money, as does paying stores to stock the game on their shelves. Download-only is much cheaper from a publishing standpoint, and with the PSP "on its way out," so to speak (and especially if the game is niche enough), the likelihood of making back one's initial investment with a UMD release decreases quite a bit.

I'm not saying with certainty that this particular title will be download-only -- after all, for all you know, it may be a really big-name release that's destined to sell MILLIONS... but I wouldn't go into any upcoming PSP title from now on expecting a UMD release, if I were you, as I think that's going to become less and less common for the remainder of the system's lifespan.

-Tom

Hmm, guess I didn't think about it that way. DD doesn't particularly bother me, so it's not a problem for me personally - I'm just used to seeing previous generations carry on with physical game releases, which clearly makes sense when you remember that DD wasn't an option. Guess things are gonna change from here on out.

[Dust]

That sort of brings back up the issue of Sora no Kiseki SC not being downloadable due do to the disc switching issue, but I'll leave that for another topic. Looks like I gotta go buy another memory stick

[rpgfan]

So when can we expect the announcement for this game?

Is there any possibility for any future PSP game releases to be UMD format? Not that download is such a bad thing. . . just curious.

[Wyrdwad]

Yeah, again, I think it all just depends on sales expectations. There are bound to be plenty of UMD releases to come, from other companies AND perhaps from us as well... I just think the number of UMD releases we see from here on out will probably be on the decline.

Note that everything in this reply is me attempting to predict the future based on my limited knowledge of the industry's inner workings. This is not a guarantee, nor is it a statement of XSEED's intent or anything -- it's just me, Wyrdwad, giving my thoughts on an issue that concerns me as much as it concerns most other gamers.

Up to this point, the vast majority of PSP games have received both UMD and digital releases, with a small handful being digital-only and another small handful being UMD-only. From this point on, I'm betting the vast majority will be digital-only, with a small handful receiving both and VERY, VERY FEW receiving only a UMD release.

It is unfortunate, but at the same time, it's also kind of interesting, as this may be the first (non-PC-based) game system for which this has EVER happened... and it seems like because of the availability of digital distribution, the PSP may enjoy a longer lifespan than most other systems ever have. In the past, whenever a system's successor was announced, the glut of game releases for the older-generation system suddenly slowed to a crawl and eventually dissipated entirely. I don't believe that will happen with the PSP, as digital distribution is so inexpensive and convenient, it would be foolish for publishers NOT to take advantage of it.

I foresee another several years of life left on the PSP, personally, with a landscape full of digital titles dotted by an occasional UMD release.

Oh, as for the game's announcement: it's still very early in localization, so not for a while yet. Generally, before we announce games, we like to ensure they're not going to fizzle out due to catastrophic programming failure or something -- so we usually wait until the translation is mostly complete, the coding for re-inserting the English text is mostly working, the license has been fully secured with no risk of being outbid by another company, etc.

Basically, we wait until we know for sure that nothing's going to screw up our plans, so that we don't ever have to tell you guys, "Sorry, our bad! You're not getting the game after all!"

Hopefully, we'll know all of that by AnimeExpo, but it's gonna be tight. Keep your fingers crossed!

-Tom

[Chaosblade]

It is unfortunate, but at the same time, it's also kind of interesting, as this may be the first (non-PC-based) game system for which this has EVER happened... and it seems like because of the availability of digital distribution, the PSP may enjoy a longer lifespan than most other systems ever have. In the past, whenever a system's successor was announced, the glut of game releases for the older-generation system suddenly slowed to a crawl and eventually dissipated entirely. I don't believe that will happen with the PSP, as digital distribution is so inexpensive and convenient, it would be foolish for publishers NOT to take advantage of it.

I foresee another several years of life left on the PSP, personally, with a landscape full of digital titles dotted by an occasional UMD release.

So presumably Sony is going to continue to allow publishers to release PSP games either way? It will be interesting to see how it works out. TitS 3rd is going to be affected by this for sure considering you're probably looking at a 2013 release for that.

Of course, regarding digital titles lengthening the PSPs life, Ken kind of implied something a bit different, at least for XSeed. And nevermind the silly question I'm editing out. There's not really any answer to it now that I think about it.

I'm not sure digital only is particularly safe either, you're catering to a niche within a niche there. Maybe I'm mistaken, but most people don't look to PSN for retail games, and then you have people limited by bandwidth caps and other corporate silliness. Not to mention licensing issues, like what just happened with Brave Story. Then again, you also don't have used game sales so you aren't competing with yourself, so to speak. Maybe it evens out.

[Wyrdwad]

Yeah, Ken's point is a separate beast altogether. While DSiWare exists as a *POTENTIAL* alternative for releasing download-only DS games, it's only available on a portion of the DS units out there (anyone with a DS phat or DS Lite is out of luck), and has nowhere near the existing userbase of PSN.

And despite Ken's pessimism about the handheld gaming market, we ARE still evaluating games for both the DS and PSP on a semi-regular basis, so it's not like either system is off-limits or being totally ignored or anything. (:

-Tom

[rpgfan]

Thanks Tom, I understand more now. I'll be looking foward to the announcement of that game as well as the other games you guys are planning. Hope things go well.

I'm glad you guys haven't given up on the DS and PSP, they still have great games that deserve a chance here.

[Shizuka]

I admire XSEED's determination with PSP titles, but I want to see more PS3 titles from the company. It's about time to move on to another platform, as the PSP is about to get replaced, and the successor doesn't have an UMD drive.

[Takao]

You guys have experimented with DD-only releases in Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance on PSP. Did that showcase put up some decent results? Have the digital versions of your UMD releases done well?

I admire XSEED's determination with PSP titles, but I want to see more PS3 titles from the company. It's about time to move on to another platform, as the PSP is about to get replaced, and the successor doesn't have an UMD drive.

No, but it's fully compatible with all PSN versions of PSP games.

As well, there isn't exactly a flood of quality Japanese PS3 games not getting translated.

[Wyrdwad]

You guys have experimented with DD-only releases in Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance on PSP.

*glances over at the UMD copy of Valhalla Knights 2 on his game shelf*

We haven't released ANY download-only PSP titles just yet, actually. Digital versions of our existing PSP games have been doing OK, but it's hard to judge when there exists a physical counterpart, as one must logically assume that the mere existence of a UMD version will cause a noticeable drop in digital sales. After all, when given the choice, which do you usually pick? I know I'd always buy every game on UMD, if I could.

But if no UMD version existed, I'd be more than happy to purchase a digital copy of any game I truly wanted to play.

-Tom