Hirameki gone

[Alessio]

Luckily I still managed to order a pile of DVDs before they disappear (Piece of Wonder, Exodus Guilty Interactive 1-3, Dragonia Interactive, Ai Yori Aoshi). Currently in the mail... and now the next question is when I will ever have time to play them all. ^_^;;;

[Lucifiel]

They tried it with Piece of Wonder, but that wasn't a very good game.*

I think Hirameki's problems were as much with supply as demand. Ever17 came out in December 2005. After that was Animamundi and PoW. PoW wasn't very good, and Animamundi was shonen-ai.

Going for 2 years without a major release and 1 year without any release, and with no release annoucment, is a sign that a company will eventually go under.

* I strongly suspect PoW was released before it was ready. I mean, there was no sprite art for the monsters, and I think fighting colored cheese-wedges is sub-optimal.

... ... I just ordered PoW(now shipping) and then I find out it was not a very good game? Bah... >>;;

2 years? Hmmm... that's indeed bad for a publishing company. Why didn't they try releasing episodic games? (Sam and Max, Half-life, etc. now take this route.) Expecting a targeted audience to lap up a full-length visual novel sounds pretty demanding: many gamers simply can't sit still for more than 20 mins to pore through tons of dialogues. You need to let them be accustomed to dialogue-centric games first and then, let them get addicted to the format and the "experience".

What do you mean by "no sprite art for the monsters"? You mean they removed it from the original when it was ported over? Colored cheese wedges???! Oh well, at least it ain't as bad as those really old DOS games where the monsters were nothing but some "blocks" or keyboard letters. :p

Ah well, the game development and publishing industry is in such a terrible state today: we're stuck with clones and the publishers refuse to pick up anything that's innovative.

[Lucifiel]

Luckily I still managed to order a pile of DVDs before they disappear (Piece of Wonder, Exodus Guilty Interactive 1-3, Dragonia Interactive, Ai Yori Aoshi). Currently in the mail... and now the next question is when I will ever have time to play them all. ^_^;;;

Heh... I haven't ordered much 'cos I'm new to visual novels. I wanted to get Hourglass too but since it's Ani-play and I don't have time to play an entire game in 1 full run, I decided to pass on it for now.

Besides, I'm very sure there'll still be copies being traded on ebay and other online stores.

[Vatina]

Arrrrgh! I missed buying Phantom of Inferno on Archonia, it was sold out right before my eyes ;_;

Now I may have to import it from the US if I still want it.... expensive <_<;; (If you know a good place where you can still get it, then please do tell)

Edit: No wait! It just got back in stock O_O *runs to order*

Heh... I haven't ordered much 'cos I'm new to visual novels. I wanted to get Hourglass too but since it's Ani-play and I don't have time to play an entire game in 1 full run, I decided to pass on it for now.

The game uses passwords, so you don't have to play it in one sitting (it's too long for that anyway).

[Lucifiel]

Arrrrgh! I missed buying Phantom of Inferno on Archonia, it was sold out right before my eyes ;_;

Now I may have to import it from the US if I still want it.... expensive <_<;; (If you know a good place where you can still get it, then please do tell)

Edit: No wait! It just got back in stock O_O *runs to order*

Heh... I haven't ordered much 'cos I'm new to visual novels. I wanted to get Hourglass too but since it's Ani-play and I don't have time to play an entire game in 1 full run, I decided to pass on it for now.

The game uses passwords, so you don't have to play it in one sitting (it's too long for that anyway).

Sorry, I bought all my VNs from Jlist 'cos they've affordable shipping to Singapore and the price is decent: about 150 bucks total. And good for you.

Oh yeah, the passwords feature. Oops, forgot them. xD However, this means you have to play up to a certain segment so you can save, right? Given how lengthy visual novels are, I don't have the guts to do try that yet.

[Vatina]

No, you can get passwords any time. But usually, when you load using a password, you will be brought the the beginning of the day where you "saved" - but a lot of the days in Hourglass of Summer are short anyway, so it's not a problem. I made it a habit to play until the next morning every time, and then stopping there.

[Lucifiel]

No, you can get passwords any time. But usually, when you load using a password, you will be brought the the beginning of the day where you "saved" - but a lot of the days in Hourglass of Summer are short anyway, so it's not a problem. I made it a habit to play until the next morning every time, and then stopping there.

Heh cool... another time, though. I'm kinda broke atm... I just bought a ton of stuff over the internet. I think I spent almost 400++ SGD bucks in 30++ days.

[papillon]

Many people are very suspicious of episodic games. (There tends to be a very, very long wait between episodes, episodes are often too short and unfulfilling in themselves if they're thought of as just 'part of a game', if the company's not doing well they may fold without ever finishing the story leaving you disappointed, buying each episode individually is much more than the cost of a single full game)

It's not impossible, but it's tough to do well.

[GLACIER]

Why didn't they try releasing episodic games? (Sam and Max, Half-life, etc. now take this route.) Expecting a targeted audience to lap up a full-length visual novel sounds pretty demanding: many gamers simply can't sit still for more than 20 mins to pore through tons of dialogues. You need to let them be accustomed to dialogue-centric games first and then, let them get addicted to the format and the "experience".

That might be possible if a company were to develop original product. However, Hirameki localized existing games (most with branching paths at that), which limited the format of release.

buying each episode individually is much more than the cost of a single full game

As far as niche genres go (i.e. graphic adventures), that's partly the point. Since demand is limited, developers aim to hook their core fans, enticing them to spend more than they normally would.

Ultimately, I doubt the strategy does much for market expansion, despite what some creators might claim.

[rioka]

Noooooo! They can't leave. :sniff:

I should go buy some now before sellers get wind and spike the price up. The fiends! :runs off:

[000]

So, all in all, you can't go well if you are not offering hentai...

[papillon]

Plenty of hentai companies have gone under too. Especially ones trying to sell games in English. It's the same problem all around - high costs and not enough sales.

[GLACIER]

Yeah, JAST USA is the only company remaining (excluding Media Blasters, who may not release anything beyond Bible Black and Discipline). Supposedly, they survive simply because of non-gaming sectors of their business.

[Guest]

Further confirmation that the medium, by itself, is not profitable.

Lesson for prospective businessman: If you're going to dip into this, make sure you sell the following as well:
1.) Pocky
2.) Hentai Videos
3.) General Anime Merchandise.

Now I'm starting to think Japan really is weird, since this medium's success there should really be an anomaly.

[Counter Arts]

You know... I just don't think there are the same forces driving VNs here as they have in Japan. Like seriously, I don't think we have the same marketing power here.