XSEED approached Nintendo for The Last Story, identical to European version, limited run, more
Fans weren’t entirely surprised when The Last Story was announced for North America last month. They were, however, taken aback by the publisher news. It was revealed that the small localization company XSEED – not Nintendo – would be localizing the epic RPG.
As far as how this agreement came to be, XSEED Director of Publishing Ken Berry told IGN that their company approached Nintendo, “and they were receptive to our initial inquiry.” Berry said that their interest in The Last Story picked up “sometime after the Tokyo Game Show when we purchased a copy in Japan and started to actually play the game for ourselves.”
In the statements from Berry below, you’ll also be able to read up on XSEED’s localization plans. This includes making the North American version identical to the European release, limited edition possibilities, a limited run for the game, marketing support from Nintendo, and more.
Berry on how XSEED became the publisher and whether or not this was something the company had sought out…
“This was something that we sought out from our side. The Last Story had all the qualities we look for when determining a title to pursue based on the quality of the game and its marketability in the North American market, so we asked Nintendo about the possibility and they were receptive to our initial inquiry. ”
Berry on how long the arrangement had been in the works…
“We hadn’t been discussing it since the Japanese release, but it also didn’t suddenly come together early this year either. I would say that discussions started late last year, sometime after the Tokyo Game Show when we purchased a copy in Japan and started to actually play the game for ourselves.”
Berry on whether or not the “casual” label on Wii affected XSEED’s decision to bring The Last Story to North America…
“We feel that people go to where the good games are, so if there’s something on Wii that core gamers want to play then they will find a way to play it. People assumed that a Japanese RPG couldn’t do well on Xbox 360, but Sakaguchi-san and Mistwalker’s other title, Lost Odyssey, definitely found its audience in North America.”
Berry on whether or not the North American version will be exactly the same as the European version…
“The plan is to offer the same consistent product across all territories, so the North American version will essentially be identical to English versions released in other areas.”
Berry on which facts will influenced exactly when the game will be released…
“There is still a lot of work that needs to be done even if the game code is somewhat complete with English already implemented. On the localization front new North American-specific data such as product codes, ESRB, and credits need to be inserted at the very least, while time is necessary from a marketing standpoint to design our packaging materials, prepare our advertising assets and get a new website ready. With that said, we still feel pretty good about an early summer launch window.”
Berry on the possibility of a limited edition version…
“This is something that is still being considered right now. Though nothing is final yet, we hope to be able to announce something fairly soon.”
Berry on which retailers the game will be sold at…
“We are offering the title to any retailer that wishes to stock it. The distribution will not be restricted from our side.”
Berry on whether or not this will be a limited run for the game and if there will be another run if there’s demand…
“Yes, we do anticipate a limited run for the game as we already have a number in mind of how many units we can expect to sell of this title, and all our pre-production efforts will be geared towards being able to manufacture a final number somewhat close to our initial estimated number. It’s too early to start thinking of doing additional runs, but as a general policy we haven’t been very active on doing reprints of our other titles so far.”
Berry on any marketing support from Nintendo of America…
“Yes, we actually just recently had a very productive meeting with the team at Nintendo of America to discuss this very issue. They are very enthusiastic in wanting to help support the launch of the title, and we have started dialogue on many different upcoming opportunities already.”
Berry on the localization in general…
“Just that our whole team here is very excited to be working on this title together with the fantastic people at Mistwalker and Nintendo, and we’ve been overwhelmed and moved by the great fan support so far since first announcing the title.”
