Support NeoGAF

[DarienA]

GungHo Grabs Game Arts

Rapidly growing online games publisher GungHo has announced it has bought veteran Japanese developer Game Arts.

Game Arts is best known for its pre-32-bit hits although it's enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. The firm successfully completed the impressive Grandia III on PS2 (pictured), published by Square Enix and recently announced the Grandia Online MMOG.

GungHo was founded with the help of the Japanese giant Softbank and is publishing Asia’s number one online game, Ragnarok. Its successful online gaming business has made GungHo one of Japan's fastest growing game company.

 

[Zweisy1]

Damn...

Oh well, at least they didn't get swallowed by Square-Enix.

 

[jarrod]

Damn...

Oh well, at least they didn't get swallowed by Square-Enix.

QFT!

I still weep for Quest. ;_;

 

[Vashu]

I don't know, I'd rather see them with S-E than with GungHo to be honest. But let's hope they can continue their work on the Grandia games, and other future titles.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Damn...

Oh well, at least they didn't get swallowed by Square-Enix.

That'd been better since now all they'll probably do is MMORPG's. I guess Lunar really is dead now.

 

[jarrod]

I don't know, I'd rather see them with S-E than with GungHo to be honest. But let's hope they can continue their work on the Grandia games, and other future titles.

Square Enix would be an instant death sentence. Again, look at Quest/Ogre.

That'd been better since now all they'll probably do is MMORPG's. I guess Lunar really is dead now.

Lunar's been dead for a decade. Square Enix never would've greenlighted a new one anyway, they wanted GA focused 100% on Grandia. Regardless of who funds GameArts, the only new Lunars you'll ever see are licensed out shovelware/remakes like SSS, Legend or Genesis.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Real Grandia would still be better than MMORPG's.

 

[Koshiro]

Real Grandia would still be better than MMORPG's.

Quoted for supreme justice, if this means the end of single player story-driven Grandias, I think I'll cry.

 

[Zweisy1]

Square Enix would be an instant death sentence. Again, look at Quest/Ogre.

Exactly.

And yeah it would seriously blow if online games is all GameArts will do from now on. Aren't they working on a DS game btw or was it just a rumour?

 

[lyre]

This still doesn't improve any odds for a true sequal to Grandia (aka weapons development system, no mana egg system and a complete world with each town having their own mythos etc). If anything, this will strengthen Grandia Online more than anything.

 

[jarrod]

Real Grandia would still be better than MMORPG's.

You'll still get that most likely... GungHo was looking at GA previously as a means to get into console/handheld games, growing into new markets and bolstering their internal R&D/IP. Besides, GA isn't even developing Grandia Online internally, that's being farmed out to a South Korean studio (with help from G-Mode).

Most likely, this move means GA will get funding to work on what it wants while farming out established IPs to other developers. Unlike Square Enix, who's Quest example means we'd likely never see their franchises again while they toiled on Final Fantasy games under the name "Square Enix Product Development Division 11" or something.

 

[monchi-kun]

Ragnarok for PSP!!!!

 

[jj984jj]

Ragnarok for PS3!!!!

Fixed imo. They can make it what TFO was suppose to be.

 

[Pellham]

Fixed imo. They can make it what TFO was suppsoe to be.

they could probably do that with RO2, but I doubt it will happen

 

[Dragona Akehi]

QFT!

I still weep for Quest. ;_;

This is almost as bad. Grandia Online only and forever?


Grandia will forever be a fluke now.

 

[jarrod]

This is almost as bad. Grandia Online only and forever?


Grandia will forever be a fluke now.

Gotta stay positive Dragona... at least this isn't the certain destruction a Square Enix buyout would've promised. Who knows... maybe we'll get that Grandia remake yet?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Gotta stay positive Dragona... at least this isn't the certain destruction a Square Enix buyout would've promised. Who knows... maybe we'll get that Grandia remake yet?

Somehow I doubt it. Yet Another Lunar Remake. Probably.

 

[Shouta]

No love lost here. GA is down as a fluke developer in my book after Grandia 3.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Shouta: Grandia III really is that bad? Gwaaaaarg.

 

[Shouta]

Yes, yes it is (except for Miranda and Alonso).

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I bet it's those stupid Mana Eggs fucking over Grandia.


GET RID OF THEM GAME ARTS! GOOD GAME DESIGN WILL FOLLOW I PROMISE!

 

[DarknessTear]

Mana Eggs

HISS

GRR

ROAR

Anyway, they were better off with S-E, guys.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Anyway, they were better off with S-E, guys.

When's the last time we heard about an OBS game again?

 

[HyperZone<3]

Crap. No more Silpheed.

(crickets chirping)

 

[Victrix]

Hey men, take em from the rear

 

[jarrod]

When's the last time we heard about an OBS game again?

When Nintendo was publishing them.... why oh why didn't Nintendo snatch Quest when they had the chance? We'd probably be getting Tactics Ogre DS this fall had that happened.

On the bright side, jonny's GS transltion/writeup sounds pretty positive...

GungHo to acquire Game Arts
Yesterday, GungHo Online Entertainment president, Kazuki Morishita, announced the Firm's plans to acquire developer Game Arts over the course of the next two weeks. GungHo already owns a 11.93% stake in Game Arts, while Connect Technologies owns another 11.93%, Square Enix owns 11.46% and the main shareholder, Yoichi Miyaji, holds 35.2%. GungHo intends to become a majority shareholder and make the Game Arts label a subsidiary.

Morishita outlined that the acquisition is necessary as a means to expand their ever-growing online games business, as well as their home console development. Game Arts, most well known for the Grandia series, already entered an agreement with GungHo to produce Grandia Online last month, and it's presumed the deal will be unaffected by this acquisition.

So, they're not killing Game Arts and they're not killing console development. This alone makes the aquisition preferable to Square Enix.