Please let this be the beginning of a massive JRPG revival.
Pleaaaaaase.
jrpg never went away… unless you're one of those 'handhelds don't count because reasons' gamers.
it is nice to see more jrpg developers announcing games for home consoles, though at the same time i hope they're keeping their sales expectations realistic.
i'm sorry but the ps4 userbase is nowhere near big enough to support any large scale, HD budget jrps NOT named final fantasy or DQ.
and i mention the ps4 only, because imo it is the only viable home console in japan.
the wiiU is great if nintendo is paying for your project, as you run no risk of monetary losses.
otherwise, ps4 is your best bet… and it's a great bet, to boot. fantastic console, otherwise.
I do hope these console jrpgs sell great out the gate. a 'slow-burn' sales trajectory, while decent, won't prove enough of a motivation to get developers to really focus on jrpg's on home consoles though, i fear. hoping for the best though.
even the market for mid-budget jrpgs like lunar, grandia, BoF on home consoles are non-existent now, unfortunately. we can thank AAA budget, western trend-following japanese publishers & developers for allowing this to happen.
i feel like they were blind-sided by the "success explosion" of western dudebro games, started salivating, and lost sight of what made their own games great, to begin with.
and while 3rd party japanese developers got caught with their pants down, the entire portable market just went up to them and said "yep, we'll take those markets off your hands, thankyouverymuch!"
gone are the days of the ps2 where these games could find success & profitability.
no, this market is on handhelds now. and imo the main reason for this, is the market has not yet been infested by the 'triple a' business model, or the 'chasing hollywood' crowd.
and even though the market is going through it's 'contracting' phase, i sincerely hope that it's market leaders like nintendo & sony keep careful control of what starts 'trending' in the traditional portable gaming sphere, and shoot down any signs of potential 'chasing hollywood' trends in the future.