Pretty sad news, and I thought it deserved it own thread :



: /

Comes fron Uchikoshi English twitter account.

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:/

That isn't good news at all. Hopefully they'll change their minds about that...

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This popped up just as I had to head for class. Go figure...

I'll copy and paste my thoughts from GAF:

Disappointing, but honestly unsurprising.

VLR's existence was the result of 999 becoming an unexpected sleeper hit in America. Hitting that kind of success twice is much easier said than done. The Phoenix Wright games, for instance, have sold less and less with each entry even though the first was a relative hit.

I wouldn't be surprised if a big part of the pitch for VLR was "we'll have strong sales in America, and we'll change it to get better sales in Japan." Uchikoshi's confirmed that VLR has less gore than 999, for instance, because they expected that to sell better in Japan. They also made a short animated PV and some pretty fanservicey side stuff in the leadup to VLR's Japanese release.

And then VLR, well...



The numbers say it all, and I would be honestly surprised to hear VLR significantly (if at all) surpassed 999's sales in America.

Now, this would be a tough enough situation even if the series was just making a bit of profit. Even then, Spike Chunsoft has other franchises that are much more lucrative that they could be putting staff onto. I've long suspected (but have yet to check the staff lists) there's some crossover between the Dangan Ronpa and ZE teams, and it wouldn't surprise me if that's more true than ever with two DR games in development. DR also scratches that 'dark' itch like ZE, but in a much more marketable way.

But this isn't even a case of the series being only a little profitable in Japan. If it's straight-up in the red over there, that's not something the company's going to want to risk offsetting with Western sales. Obviously, I can't speak to Spike Chunsoft and Aksys' licensing, but it seems reasonable to assume SC sees less profit from a Western copy than from a Japanese one.

And as ShockingAlberto [another GAF member] said, if Uchikoshi's considered Kickstarter and been rebuffed, it's likely because he knows the goal they'd need from there is too much. VLR was pretty close to full voice; that isn't cheap. 3D modeling isn't cheap. And while it's tempting to say, "just drop that and go back to silent sprites", that doesn't look good for Spike Chunsoft to downgrade the final entry in one of their series.

Finally, remember that 999 was re-released on iOS and Android last year. I wouldn't be surprised if that was also an attempt to recoup costs and show the series could be profitable in Japan. I'm guessing it didn't go very well.

I hope an answer is found - I loved the ZE games and have been eager for the third - but it doesn't seem likely.

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Well, to be honest, I preferred the 2D silent sprites over the models anyways...

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I feel bad for all the loyal fans and Mr. Uchikoshi, who seems like a really cool guy. It's such a shame that games like that don't sell well enough, something I believe we Ace Attorney fans are pretty familiar with.

However, wasn't the third and final game going to take place before Virtue's Last Reward? I honestly found that idea pretty strange, since I didn't feel satisfied by VLR's ending. Then again, maybe that was the point. Anyhow, I sort of lost interest in the series when I heard that, but it's a shame nonetheless.

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So sadface

@Thane: Even if ZE3 took place before VLR, it could end with...

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Yes, but...

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What!? No! x 100. Why? Okay enough of me complaining, but the series had success. Considering the fact that there were translations for it. But, story-wise pov now. I kind of agree in a way, because it had filled plot-holes and made new ones. If you get it, that is... :3

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Ah how terribly sad but here's hoping they get the funding at some point down the line.

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No, ZE3 wouldn't take place before VLR.

Keep in mind that Uchikoshi doesn't speak english fluently, so when he says kickstarter is not an option, don't jump to conclusions. Especially since he explained later that he couldn't do it because kickstarter was limited to US/UK/Canada based companies or individuals, so that seems to be the reason. See for yourself :

https://twitter.com/Uchikoshi_Eng


And while we're at it, to everyone reading this topic, please get a twitter, follow Uchikoshi, send words of encouragement and a promise to donate, should a crowd funding campaign come up. That won't hurt.

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Yes, and I understand that. However, doesn't that mean that the outcome is already guaranteed?

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No, not necessarily. E.g. Sigma and even June don't even know what exactly happened on the test site during those days.

I'm not trying to look for flaws. The game has an amazing story, and these news are sad indeed, but I just think having the third installment take place before VLR makes things a little bit awkward. Of course, for all I know I'm wrong or they would just work around/explain that in the next game.

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I don't see how this could be awkward. Considering what they did in VLR that's the only way the story can continue.

Also you should really rewatch the true ending, here is the part when Akane explains the project:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nomTtNM2BKA&fea ... page#t=295

So they still need to change history to reach the good path that leads away from point E.

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Is that really how it was though? I could've sworn they talked about it as if it were fact, I mean, how else would they even know about it? They never say "yeah this would be ideal"...oh well, I'm sorry for having derailed this thread.

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I'm surprised no one has talked about Operation Bluebird yet. Basically they're trying raise awareness for Zero Escape 3 to help get it funded. Their Facebook page is here for anyone who is interested.

https://www.facebook.com/operationbluebirdze3

I think it's pretty cool that Kotaro Uchikoshi himself liked the page and promoted it on his Twitter. I suggest you guys check it out if you are Zero Escape fans.

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Do you guys know if there is any message board dedicated to operation bluebird ? Some time ago, I started working on a visual novel of mine with a plot and atmosphere heavily inspired by the zero escape series (but completely original), but left it aside mid-way since I figured there wasn't much of an audience for it. Maybe now would be a good time to bring it back from the dead, and like promise to give half of the eventual sales to zero escape 3 if it eventually is greenlit/crowdfunded ? Any particular place where I could get feedback on the idea ?