More JP Devs wants to work on Home Consoles than mobile-CEDEC survey

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coffee-san

Sphere Hunter
Mar 18, 2015
245
120
#3
Interesting. But yeah, curious as to why they would do this when mobage market is dominating in Japan.
Probably a response to how windows 10 did in Japan, I'm assuming that because it didn't exactly "blow-up," doujinsoft devs probably feel console market can still compete.
 
Sep 26, 2013
1,612
626
#4
I imagine some creators don't want to create cheap shit and be known for it. Instead, they want to create that big game that they've always dreamed to make. Or they want to work on big, well-known, home console IPs like your Final Fantasy and Zelda games because they're just far more interesting projects to work on.

Too bad this is a business and publishers will go where the money is. Home console market is unsustainable and relies on proven and safe ideas, which seem to all come from the west.
 
Likes: Crystal Power

llazy77

Warrior of Light
May 27, 2014
1,149
550
29
#5
And they are We are Getting Games Like the Souls Series,Persona 5, Star Ocean 5, FFXV, Zelda U, DQXI,MGSV.
 
May 26, 2014
625
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#6
For some game devs, they do that particular work for more than just the money. They like to make games to express their ideas and it's very effective to do so on home console based games.
I dunno. If I were in charge of a game studio or company I'd make a f2p mobile game and watch it rake in the green stuff! :)
 

coffee-san

Sphere Hunter
Mar 18, 2015
245
120
#7
If I could, I would like this thread 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 times. THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN SO LET THEM MAKE HOME CONSOLE GAMES.



For some game devs, they do that particular work for more than just the money. They like to make games to express their ideas and it's very effective to do so on home console based games.
I personally say give them what they want. There's still a market for home console games in Japan and while small, it can tremendously grow if they know their stuff.
I mean, the reason mobage market got to the point that it did in Japan was because of the hectic life that JP (non-NEET) citizens live. There was always a market for home consoles, but full-week school schedules and part/full-time jobs keep most people away from home so long that they just settled for gaming on the go.

I don't know if that'll change any time soon, JP life is way more time consuming now than it's ever been.
 

Crystal Power

Keyblade Master
Nov 29, 2013
712
243
United States
#12
I dunno. If I were in charge of a game studio or company I'd make a f2p mobile game and watch it rake in the green stuff! :)
LOL! That's not how everyone works.

I myself would want to create what I love. Not what gets me most money from cheap tactics and mediocre skills. Of course getting money is a bonus and I need it to maintain a business, that doesn't mean everyone wants to make money the easy way. ;)
 
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LeonBlade

Administrator
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Site Staff
Oct 25, 2013
2,026
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Blossvale, New York
#13
This does not come to a surprise to me at all. I think it's quite obvious that Japanese developers would rather create an engaging story with great gameplay then create something as monotonous and low quality as most F2P titles. The working culture in Japan does mean that people are less likely to play console games, but is that really the only reason? I believe there is more at play here then just the expected working culture being the source of the problem. The Wii sold tremendously well in Japan which might have a lot to do with the huge spike in 2006-2007. I think we will see console sales rising in the near future in Japan, and that will ride on the future titles being release from Japan. Just because Japan in a country that works a lot and has more time dedicated to work and school does not mean they do not have free time like anyone else.

But why would they want to make console games when they can make so much more $$ with mobile?
Why wouldn't you want to create a console game over a mobile game? Not all developers care so much about large revenue streams as long as they get to create an amazing game. Would you like to create the next big JRPG or a crappy tower defense game? It's not that hard to see why this is the trend. Another way to put it, I'd rather create one large amazing meal than flip fast food burgers. Even if the fast food burgers will sell faster and in more quantities, a large elaborate meal will be more enjoyable and with a higher up front cost but will be more rewarding to both the chef and the customer.
LOL! That's not how everyone works.

I myself would want to create what I love. Not what gets me most money from cheap tactics and mediocre skills. Of course getting money is a bonus and I need it to maintain a business, that doesn't mean everyone wants to make money the easy way. ;)
Yes, this is exactly how I see it.

I mean, the reason mobage market got to the point that it did in Japan was because of the hectic life that JP (non-NEET) citizens live. There was always a market for home consoles, but full-week school schedules and part/full-time jobs keep most people away from home so long that they just settled for gaming on the go.

I don't know if that'll change any time soon, JP life is way more time consuming now than it's ever been.
People are not that busy though. Even if you are a non-NEET regular person, you will have free time to commit a few hours every day to play a game. Farmville was also (maybe still is) very popular on Facebook for a game with little to no substance, that doesn't mean that people still don't enjoy regular games. I think it depends on who you are looking at. More people are likely to play a casual game on their phone simply because they are not committed. I think the market can easily shift depending on what games are being released. Free time is still a luxury that Japan has, it is just being spent in other places, we will have to wait and see.

Japan is always on the go these days. They commute more then we do. Fix that then maybe.

Maybe NX is the key? ;)
What if NX ends up being another portable device ?
If they only want to please the Japanese market which I'm pretty sure that's ludicrous of them to do so.
It shouldn't be. Not at first at least.
There are rumors that the NX will be a hybrid of a console and a handheld. However, I'm not really sure how this will add up because they are looking to rival the current generation of consoles with PS4 and XBO being way above the Wii U.

It's possible that they will do something to integrate a handheld into the console in some form, but I think Nintendo will try to go back to their roots and be a dominate core gaming platform on consoles like they were with the NES and SNES. It's possible that with this we will see a boost in console sales as well because Nintendo is such a beloved brand.
 
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coffee-san

Sphere Hunter
Mar 18, 2015
245
120
#14
This does not come to a surprise to me at all. I think it's quite obvious that
People are not that busy though. Even if you are a non-NEET regular person, you will have free time to commit a few hours every day to play a game. Farmville was also (maybe still is) very popular on Facebook for a game with little to no substance, that doesn't mean that people still don't enjoy regular games. I think it depends on who you are looking at. More people are likely to play a casual game on their phone simply because they are not committed. I think the market can easily shift depending on what games are being released. Free time is still a luxury that Japan has, it is just being spent in other places, we will have to wait and see.
You'd be surprised. I've spent a year in Japan for SA and witnessed that hectic life first-hand with my host family's son and his friends.
Of course, you are right in that free-time is still a luxury, but not really so much amongst most the teen-young adult demographic. It's actually been quite impactful on the market shift in that regard.
But yeah, it's really just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens.
 
Sep 26, 2013
1,612
626
#15
There are rumors that the NX will be a hybrid of a console and a handheld. However, I'm not really sure how this will add up because they are looking to rival the current generation of consoles with PS4 and XBO being way above the Wii U.

It's possible that they will do something to integrate a handheld into the console in some form, but I think Nintendo will try to go back to their roots and be a dominate core gaming platform on consoles like they were with the NES and SNES. It's possible that with this we will see a boost in console sales as well because Nintendo is such a beloved brand.
The speculation is that it's either going to be a hybrid or it's going to be a brand new ecosystem that has several different platforms (console and handheld in this case) that share the same architecture, operating system and play the same games. It's what many think it will be as Iwata has talked about doing something similar to what Apple does (iPhone, iTouch, iPad, iTunes etc.. are all brothers of the same family). This is why the recent patent of no optical disc drive makes sense as in order to play the same game on a handheld and console, you use carts instead.

Whatever it is exactly, everyone seems to speculate and agree on one thing. Nintendo NX, hybrid or multiple platforms, will play the same games. That's important because right now Nintendo's 3rd party support are Japanese developers who make games for their handhelds. On top of that, Nintendo has been having severe 1st party drought issues and so making games for one platform can improve their output a bit. There would be that much needed sense of consistency.

My thinking is perhaps in order to save the home console market and make it healthy again, it's just simply a matter of putting those types of gaming experiences on a handheld instead of a console. It has to be done right though. That's the key. I don't think people want a home console experience like Mobius Final Fantasy. When you look at the PSVita, that market never materialized because the games they want are not cheap to make and won't get the sales they need. It's better to make those types of games for a home console instead.

What NX would basically be doing is hitting two birds with one stone, or two markets with one platform/platforms that play the same games. Developers who want to make something expensive can do so knowing that it will be playable on both a handheld and console. The game will not be restricted to just one market that way.
 
Jun 7, 2014
898
625
Poland
#16
I'm not sure how true it is but, from what I read once in some articles, gaming as a hobby is pretty much looked down upon among japanese adults. It's okay to play DS or smartphones to pass time when commuting, but gaming on home consoles is considered a teenagers' and otakus' thing. And their working lifestyle only reinforces this.

I wonder if it's possible to make console gaming in Japan relevant again in the near future. Nintendo still seems to be loved there so maybe NX can do this...
 

Fin

Clan Centurio Member
UFFSite Veteran
Nov 22, 2013
147
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Kanagawa, Japan
#17
If you strap yourself in to a home console it basically indicates that either you have no friends or think gaming is more important than spending time with your friends, since life is pretty busy. Or, if you're a student, that you don't like to study :'D

But really I think it's mostly looked down upon if you make a big deal of it or tell people when you introduce yourself or in a business situation. Shows a lack of tact, because I'm sure a lot of people wish they had the time to dedicate hours of playtime (or other fun time) every day and saying that you can sounds pretty enviable. Some of my teachers have 3DSes but how will they have "real game time" when they don't get home until 9-10pm


There may be a difference between wanting to make big games and actually being able to. Would be cool to see more home console titles, but I have to say I'm in the handheld camp personally because it's so much easier and more private.
 

Fin

Clan Centurio Member
UFFSite Veteran
Nov 22, 2013
147
32
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Kanagawa, Japan
#18
^ There are a lot of older people in Japan. Even still it's not a good idea to go around advertising that it's your favorite thing, for reasons I stated above. While I strongly doubt you will be openly objected to ridicule, it comes off rather socially inept. But if you're known to always work hard, be dependable, are popular socially etc I'm pretty sure no one really cares if you like games because it won't be associated with wasting time or being lazy.

The only exception is when you are in company of other people who love games, they won't think any less of you for it obviously. While I don't think it's a *good* thing, there is a reason otaku culture is so insular.
 

Lulcielid

Warrior of Light
Oct 9, 2014
3,826
2,826
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Argentina
#19
Reasons of downfall of console gaming in JP from my perspective :
  1. Lack of free time due to JP lifestyle (though this is for gaming in general).
  2. Mobile can be played anywhere you go.
  3. Working and studies gets on the way.
Another reason i can think of (not sure how true it is) is the the JP companies output of console games shrinking as the generations went on. I will use S-E as an example:

During the SNES era SQUARE releases 6 FF games and like 8-10 other IPs.
During the PSX era SQUARE releases 3 FF(and some offs) games and like 6-8 other IPs (some of them getting sequels).
During the PS2 era QUARE releases 3 FF games and like 4 other IPs.
During PS3 era SQUARE releases 2 FF games.

As this was happening, SQUARE also started releasing games on mobiles like DS and PSP (more on the former) and their output in that market increases with the following years as other mobile devices becomes their target market.

I am not sure how true it is for other companies like Capcom, Konami, Nintendo, Atlus, etc. Just my take on it.
 

Fin

Clan Centurio Member
UFFSite Veteran
Nov 22, 2013
147
32
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Kanagawa, Japan
#20
More reasons:

The PS3 was super expensive when it first came out which kept pretty much everyone but the hardcore gamers from wanting to buy. So the Wii did well, but it had way fewer "big" games than the PS2, as we'd like to think of them. I think a lot of people bought wiis and didn't use them much. The 360 was only picked up by anime otaku since it got games like idolmaster and so on.

The cost of HD development plus the difficulty of programming for the PS3 and lack of audience made it harder for developers, especially smaller ones so they stuck to the DS and PSP.