Falcom president on graphics criticism and Ys X: Nordics sales

Falcom recently held a financial results briefing, and during the event, one investor had some criticism for the graphics in Ys X: Nordics. President Toshihiro Kondo responded with some interesting comments.

Kondo mentioned that Falcom is giving consideration to the graphics in its games, but the main issue seems to be time. With the company looking to put out at least one new game each year – whether it’s Ys, The Legend of Heroes, or something else – maximizing visuals isn’t an easy task. Falcom is also putting out new titles with under 100 employees.

Here’s our full translation of the exchange (originally relayed by X user michsuzu in Japanese)

Ys X: Nordics is very fun to play. However, the graphics for PS5 were noticeably grainy. I don’t really think HD would have helped either. What was the biggest reason for this? Was it a technical problem, cost, scheduling, or was it a case of the game being released on multiple platforms and the Switch pulled everything down?

Kondo: You have spoken about Nihon Falcom game graphics at various times, and it is an important issue that we are aware of. Graphics are costly, requiring both time and money. If we talk to the designers they reply ‘If we have time and money we can do it’. Our basic plan is to deliver a new game yearly.

We are working hard to stay within that range. We could spend 4 or 5 years on each game, but there is no other company in the country with 65 employees putting out RPGs every year. We are aware of the graphics issues, but I think it is getting better with each game. Please keep the long-term in mind.

The same investor briefing also gave us insight into the sales of Ys X: Nordics. Switch accounted for 30 percent of the game’s sales, which was ahead of PS4’s 20 percent but below PS5’s 50 percent. Kondo believes Falcom was “able to reach new players” with the Switch version and reiterated future support for the platform.

Were the sales of Ys X: Nordics as expected? In the past you did say that “development resources were limited, which narrows development focus to certain platforms.” However, this time you have resources to release on multiple hardware. Focusing on the Switch, did you have an idea as to how to speed up the development process?

Kondo: Regarding sales numbers, we are refraining from announcing exact numbers, but in terms of percentages, PS5 is about 50%, Switch is about 30%, and PS4 around 20%. At the planning stage the PS5 had not yet been released, but we imagined it would be a 50-50 split between the PS and Switch, but the results are actually different.

After the PS, the Switch is the next best selling platform, so we have been able to reach new players. As for the future, it is difficult to know what will come after the Switch or if the PS5 will be able to grow in numbers, this will be important for choosing platforms.

I want to continue releasing games on the PS and Switch. Originally, I also wanted to release on Steam, but there was a problem with resources. We should do what we can do, well first, and then aim to increase sales.

Ys X: Nordics launched in Japan and Asia this past September. No announcements have been made for the west, but if we’re looking at past games, NIS America is likely planning localization for a later date.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak will be released on Switch this year. The company also confirmed this week that it has an unannounced game in the works for the platform.

Translation provided by Simon Griffin, Philip Proctor, and SatsumaFS on behalf of Nintendo Everything.