This is something I've been thinking a lot about, so I thought I'd ask everyone else what they thought. As of right now, what do you think the chances are of getting the eventual GS6?

There are a lot of things I'm considering, assuming that GS6 is going to be on 3DS.

*First, the reasons why we worry about localization in the first place. Capcom USA has told us many times that the reason for the series' uncertain future in the US is due to low sales. Recently, though, GK and GS5 producer Eshiro mentioned reasons that had nothing to do with sales, such as scheduling and convenience. At first I took these comments simply as possibly wrong information by someone not involved in the English side of things, but Sven's recent posts show that Eshiro is very much involved in the localization process and that his reasons are indeed part of the puzzle, as evidenced by the fact that a physical release may still be a possibility. This makes me wonder which reasons are more responsible for the series' overseas releases, sales or other? If Sales don't play nearly as much into it as we thought then that might mean we have a greater chance of getting later games.

*Dual Destinies was originally announced as a digital-only title, but now Capcom is looking into if a physical product would be profitable as well. I'm sure more of us would prefer a physical copy (I certainly do; I posted on Capcom-Unity specifically to vouch for this) but one thing that I've thought about is how this possible reversal will affect the localization of GS6. One of the reasons for the digital release was supposedly to save money on localization. Eshiro never mentioned this reason, but that doesn't mean this doesn't factor in here. My only worry about the physical release of GS5 is that profits might be less than if they were from the digital one (because of digital's non-existent cartridge making costs) and because of that GS6 doesn't get brought over.

We will have a better idea once DD launches what the sales numbers are and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. My guess is that if DD is a giant hit then AAI2 would be released digitally after to ride the hype, and hopefully GS6 would be brought over eventually.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

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As far as getting GS6 goes, you could say I'm...cautiously optimistic for now. I do believe a main series game starring Phoenix will always be a more likely candidate for localization than "spinoffs" such as AAI and PLvsAA. It's like you say though, it's up in the air until DD comes out and we can crunch some sales numbers. For all we know, DD could be a smash hit bought and loved by longtime fans, former emulators, and newcomers alike or a commercial AND critical flop that kills the series altogether (hella depressing thought, I apologize).

I'm concerned about this as well. If they spend the money to dstribute the game here physically they'll certainly want better sales to show for it, which raises the stakes for western fans, so to speak. Hopefully the extra bit of promotion that comes with actually sitting on store shelves and whatnot would help offset that.

In any case, I'm hoping that since they already have the engine and main character models and stuff like that made, we won't have to wait as long for GS6 as we did with DD. I'm not sure if my fragile heart could handle another 5-6 year gap!

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Fact of the matter is, even if we look at GS Forums like Court Records and others, Ace Attorney games are and always have been a small niche of the market. There are that many people who are interested in playing an Ace Attorney game.

Ace Attorney isn't a Big Name like Final Fantasy or Tales Of. Aside from the Ace Attorney fans to begin with, nobody will be supremely hyped as soon as a new title is brought out, and the games aren't as frequent as the before-mentioned titles. So already there is the problem of interest and sales, especially in the western and european market. That already gives us a disadvantage.

I'm not sure whether Eshiro really will give us a physical copy of GS5 or won't give us one, no matter what the audience might say. If we were to get GS6 - if they make GS6, perhaps they are making GS5 the last one, it's possible - I do think that it'll be very likely digital copy only.

C-A

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GS does so well in Japan that I doubt they would stop at GS5. Too much money to be made. If they did make a game that would be a definitive ending I would applaud their creative integrity though.

I guess it goes back to the original question of how well the game needs to sell in order to bring it over here. GS1 was a huge hit for Capcom, but none of the other games sold as many copies as GS1 did. Based on the fact GS2, GS3, and GS4 all came to the US in only 1 year, I wonder if the sales from the first one drove the localization of all 4 games, with the sales of GS2 having no effect on if GS3 was released, and with the sales of GS3 having no effect on if GS4 was released. I don't think DD needs to reach numbers like Final Fantasy in order to be profitable. But I'm going to assume it has to do better than AAI, which apparently didn't sell well enough.

I'm fine with digital. Obviously, I prefer physical releases, but if the main GS games come over here digital only then I'm fine with that (honestly at this point I don't care about GK2 that much anymore. We already know Edgeworth is in this game, so we're going to see his character post GK2 and that makes whatever development that occurs in the game not really "important" on a plot importance sense.)

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Kotaku recently had an interview with Motohide Eshiro and this came up


Intriguing...

Why do I feel that GS6 is just a bunch of new DLC cases, or they will make GS 5.5 instead?

Because you have the brain of a game developer?
Or you are such a seasoned gamer that you can smell things coming miles away.
Plot twists, characters, money opportunities that will annoy fans...

C-A

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