Nintendo rep: Fan passion not the only factor in localizing Wii RPGs
It can’t be denied that Operation Rainfall played a huge part in the North American localization of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story. The group managed to stir up interest among a considerable amount of hardcore Wii owners, and led organized efforts in garnering Nintendo’s attention.
However, a Nintendo representative says that Operation Rainfall wasn’t the only factor that motivated the company to bring the much-requested titles to North America:
“Our fans are very passionate, and have demonstrated an interest in this game. We certainly appreciate this passion, but it alone did not impact our decision to launch the game or the timeframe in which it would launch.”
Ryan Tyner, one of Operation Rainfall’s leaders, believes Nintendo might be downplaying their involvement:
“The fact that they revealed [Xenoblade Chronicles] on Facebook is telling, considering that is where the campaign asked for the game. There are other little ‘signs’ such as [NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime] stating in the The Last Story reveal that many people had been ‘clamoring’ for the game. Privately, we had inside sources that confirmed that Nintendo was taking notice of us and that it was indeed because of our efforts that these games were being released…”
Tyner also discussed how Nintendo of Europe’s translation most likely made Nintendo’s decisions easier:
“Really, it was just a matter of the circumstances being ideal for our campaign. I think we showed them that if they did bring the games over, people would buy them. But of course there is also the fact that our member participation has been great, and that the staff has worked hard to make this happen. I work harder on Operation Rainfall some days than I do on my actual job.”
