Level5 judgment are always unidirectional here on GAF. And this still buffles me.
Probably it depends on how portable-only/hardware brand only have they been in their activities so far?
I mean:
- they launched SEVERAL new IPs in the past years. this should be welcome on GAF, where I often see critics for to stagnant new initiatives.
- they launched many different SUCCESSES (undisputed), being able to read the Japanese market VERY WELL, unlike almost ALL the other Japanese companies in the past decade, with
. the first million seller not called DQ or FF being able to become million seller (Inazuma Eleven)
. a puzzle game being able to sell 1 million copy with the first episode and stay stable and relevant for an entire generation with its sequels (Layton on DS)
.the first JRPG not called Pokemon to sell 3+ millions copies in Japan (ever? Don't know; aka Yokai Watch)
.many NEW IPs during the years, able to sell in different range of good/great results, if compared to many other new IPs (probably only Nintendo were able to find a bigger successes), with "disappointing sales" of sequels still being around 250k, and many IPs such as LBX, Fantasy Life being around that total sales in general
.they had moderated/huge success also in the side businesses, with their cross media projects, with toy/anime roy/revenues
.they clearly invested in a "cartoon/toy like" business model, with the incomes from one IP to be invested in new projects, each planned with a shortened life cycle (compared to the usual videogame one), following the usual 3year-lasting toy lines business model, being able to invest the incomes from one "line" into more than only 1 new cross media project (they are doing it also now, with the incomes from YW invested in both Snack World and Megaton Musashi, and probably in the relaunch of IE, minorly into the new Layton)
.they had good results (in terms of sales and/or revenue/roy from partnership, with Nintendo/Bandai/Hasbro) also oversee (especially in EU, especially in France, Spain and Italy), with Layton, with Inazuma, with YW
I mean. go on mocking them. ok.