Console Visual Novels vs. PC Visual Novels

[solidbatman]

Someone on the Fuwanovel Facebook page asked a very good question I had never thought about. It was in response to the new Date A Live Visual Novel being released on PS3. He asked, "Why PS3 and not PC?" That got me thinking for an answer and I really could not come up with anything aside from target demographics and user base. We see this with the Sci Adventure series too. S;G and R;N were both released for consoles (S;G being ported). We also have the new Liberation Maiden VN being made for PS3, and whatever the hell OreImo is doing. So, does anyone have any clue why this is the case?

[Flutterz]

Maybe they just want to make translations as hard as possible to do?

[neromercer]

You know how the PC is practically dead in Japan?, well, there are lots of VNs that don't want to sell "bad" or can't reach other higher selling companies like Key.

 

So, they just go to consoles, let's put for example PSP, it had a lot of VNs, PSVita is also getting some RPG with VN-oriented dialogue, and PS3 has quite a few. That is my idea of the situation, not something about the target demographics, but more about where would it sell well.

 

One good example is actually Fuwanovel, lots of people download VNs here for free and don't pay at all... is that our fault?, of course not, many people can't go and pay a shipping for a game that may or may not be translated at all (so please, don't go and jump to the conclusion I'm hating on Fuwan here xD, that would be the most ridiculous thing I'd ever say)

 

I'm awaiting more responses, let's see what other people think C:

[Down]

Piracy. Much harder to pirate a PS3 game, thus you don't have to take into account the usual sales decrease due to the game being diffused as soon as it comes out. It's probably part of the reason. (Even though it doesn't explain the popularity of PC to PS3 ports)

[solidbatman]

You know how the PC is practically dead in Japan?, well, there are lots of VNs that don't want to sell "bad" or can't reach other higher selling companies like Key.

 

So, they just go to consoles, let's put for example PSP, it had a lot of VNs, PSVita is also getting some RPG with VN-oriented dialogue, and PS3 has quite a few. That is my idea of the situation, not something about the target demographics, but more about where would it sell well.

 

One good example is actually Fuwanovel, lots of people download VNs here for free and don't pay at all... is that our fault?, of course not, many people can't go and pay a shipping for a game that may or may not be translated at all (so please, don't go and jump to the conclusion I'm hating on Fuwan here xD, that would be the most ridiculous thing I'd ever say)

 

I'm awaiting more responses, let's see what other people think C:

Ah, I had forgotten about how the PC is somewhat dead in Japan. Seems a silly thing to forget when asking this. 

[neromercer]

Ah, I had forgotten about how the PC is somewhat dead in Japan. Seems a silly thing to forget when asking this. 

 

And if you take on count what Down said, maybe the issue about the PC being dead on Japan is clearly piracy... well, what can you do u.u

[Izuru]

Visual Novel's Is Better In Pc So They Can Translate It Easier ^^

[Nosebleed]

Mostly Piracy. Having a game for PS3 makes it much more exclusive and hard for everyone to have.

 

Also:

Sony = Japan

PC = not Japan

Xbox = region locked so technically still Japan

 

Japanese developers wether we like it or not always try to support the japanese market more than anything and we all know this so i believe this is also one reason they like to invest in consoles more than PC.

[DrKleiner]

I think the biggest reason for that is that Sony and Nintendo are currently dominating the Japanese market with the PS3 and the 3DS respectively. Kinda the reason why the new Muv-Luv games are coming onto the PS3 and that new Days is coming to the 3DS.

[Wolfscythe]

Yeah, basically all of what has been said above. You must consider too that VNs are supposed to be "japan only" products, thus they will consider the ways to sell them there. Usually PC VNs are considered something only otakus are into and it's not something everyone sees with good eyes, but there are stories like S;G to put an example, that can be enjoyed by any kind of audience (as opposed to eroges) and considering that, it's easier to sell it if it's a console game than if it is a PC one (again, because of the way that it is seen the people that play that kind of PC games). Of course piracy is a thing too, but with the law over there it is way more difficult to pirate something than it is around here and I don't think they care too much about how foreigners take their games illegally, otherwise at this point there would be no Fuwa. So, basically it is because their main market is only Japan.
It's about marketiizing a product, the reason there are ports of PC to consoles is the same that there are anime of VNs, trying to get more people to buy a product.

With all of that said... it's my personal opinion.

[Vokoca]

I actually buy VNs on consoles... well, I guess that speaks for itself. :/

 

Though I'd say a much bigger part of it is just PC not doing well in Japan. There still are quite a lot of PC VNs, compared to the number of PC ports for Japanese games.

[sanahtlig]

The PC VN market is dominated by adult releases.  If you want to release a nonadult game with decent production values, it makes more sense to do a console release.

[floral]

You know how the PC is practically dead in Japan?, well, there are lots of VNs that don't want to sell "bad" or can't reach other higher selling companies like Key.

 

So, they just go to consoles, let's put for example PSP, it had a lot of VNs, PSVita is also getting some RPG with VN-oriented dialogue, and PS3 has quite a few. That is my idea of the situation, not something about the target demographics, but more about where would it sell well.

 

One good example is actually Fuwanovel, lots of people download VNs here for free and don't pay at all... is that our fault?, of course not, many people can't go and pay a shipping for a game that may or may not be translated at all (so please, don't go and jump to the conclusion I'm hating on Fuwan here xD, that would be the most ridiculous thing I'd ever say)

 

I'm awaiting more responses, let's see what other people think C:

 

It is true that Fuwanovel is not to blame for people pirating the Visual Novel games(fan translated and otherwise).    However this site does make it easier to do so by being one more place you can do so.  We should just provide the patches with instructions and a link to a legal buying download site for the game.  That way we would be supporting the authours, not contributing to the pirating problems.

 

Doing that though likely would not stop people, the same people would just pirate the game from another site and use the patches Fuwanovel provides.

 

Some would want you to believe that people try before they buy like how people justify sharing roms and while some will legal up with VN's as they can afford them alot just pirate them forgetting about their intention to legal up(if they had such an intention).

 

In the case of lolicon and shotacon ones and some others people have little choice but to pirate as we cannot buy or get them translated legally.  Stupid unjustified laws of the western world.

[Nosebleed]

In the case of lolicon and shotacon ones and some others people have little choice but to pirate as we cannot buy or get them translated legally.  Stupid unjustified laws of the western world.

This.

Here both lolicon and shotacon is allowed even uncensored but there are no localization companies so it's a virtually worthless law.

[neromercer]

It is true that Fuwanovel is not to blame for people pirating the Visual Novel games(fan translated and otherwise).    However this site does make it easier to do so by being one more place you can do so.  We should just provide the patches with instructions and a link to a legal buying download site for the game.  That way we would be supporting the authours, not contributing to the pirating problems.

 

Doing that though likely would not stop people, the same people would just pirate the game from another site and use the patches Fuwanovel provides.

 

Some would want you to believe that people try before they buy like how people justify sharing roms and while some will legal up with VN's as they can afford them alot just pirate them forgetting about their intention to legal up(if they had such an intention).

 

In the case of lolicon and shotacon ones and some others people have little choice but to pirate as we cannot buy or get them translated legally.  Stupid unjustified laws of the western world.

 

Still, as it won't stop anything, there's no point in doing it anyways... I myself only buy games for consoles, but everything on PC I have is pirate, because I don't have the time and money to just go and buy everything I want in every platform there is available in the market.

 

Still, I would probably change that if my country decided to import to their gaming locals some Eastern games... then, only then I'd probably start buying PC Games, most specifically, VNs.

[Clephas]

For all-ages and games coming from an anime or light novel (and thus already have established popularity) it makes sense from a financial perspective to put them on consoles or portables, because that is the best way to reach the audience. 

 

In opposition, great 18+ VNs and unique ones tend to end up on the PC.  It's just a question of marketing, really.