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[Pizza Luigi]

The new Ace Attorney game starring beloved prosecutor Miles Edgeworth will not be sold in the Benelux, which contains The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The reason for this action is that too many DS-owners have an R4-card and therefore it is not manageable for Brizamila, Capcoms distributor, to sell the game over here.

The original (Dutch) article:

Nieuws:
Geen Ace Attorney Investigations voor Benelux

Door Simon Venneman op 18-02-2010 om 19:20 Bron: [N]-Gamer

19 februari zou de dag zijn dat Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth in de winkel kwam te liggen. Jammer genoeg hebben we te horen gekregen dat dit er niet van zal komen.
Brizamila, distributeur van Capcom, heeft namelijk besloten om de game niet in de Benelux uit te brengen. Reden hiervoor is dat teveel Nintendo DS gamers in bezit zijn van een R4-kaart. Zo'n kaartje stelt gebruikers in staat om door fans gemaakte homebrew af te spelen, maar je kunt een R4 ook gebruiken om gedownloade games mee af te spelen (waar het kaartje het meest voor gebruikt wordt). Hierdoor lopen ontwikkelaars simpelweg ontzettend veel winst kwijt. Robin Wolff van Brizamila zegt hierover tegen [N]-Gamer:

Wij gaan Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth niet in Nederland doen. In de Benelux worden slechts 300 stuks verspreid door Global Distributie.

De DS is door de R4 niet langer levensvatbaar. Er wordt erg makkelijk over gedaan, maar wij durven geen risico meer te lopen op dit platform. Als Nintendo niets doet, zullen de verkopen verder dalen en de prijzen nog verder onder druk komen te staan. Er is dan, op enkele uitzonderingen na, geen geld meer te verdienen.


In de Benelux zullen er dus 300 hele blije kopers zijn. Als jij graag bij die 300 wil horen, moet je op vrijdag de Intertoys in de buurt opzoeken, dat is namelijk de enige winkel waar de game verkrijgbaar zal zijn. Indien het je dus niet lukt om een exemplaar te bemachtigen, zul je aangewezen zijn op het importeren van de game.

Global Distrubtion will distribute 300 copies in the entire Benelux, only sold (in the Netherlands) at Intertoys.

Now luckily, I already got my US copy, imported, but in my opinion, this is a really stupid move. I know for a fact that there are a lot of Ace Attorney fans in the Netherlands alone and they would buy it, even if they got an R4-card. I also think that this encourages gamers to buy an R4 flashcard, seeing that'd be the only way to play their favourite game.

Discuss.

UPDATE:

Just got an e-mail from a friend of mine. Seems that the game will be released but only in early March. Parties are still discussing terms & conditions but most important, the game WILL be released in the Benelux. Rejoice!

 

[Mama Robotnik]

So their solution to piracy is to make it the only way to play the game?

 

[I AM JOHN!]

So their solution to piracy is to make it the only way to play the game?

A completely sensible solution if I've ever heard one!

 

[thehillissilent]

Well, they are going to pirate it anyway since they can't buy it. This is stupid!

 

[jooey]

I know for a fact that there are a lot of Ace Attorney fans in the Netherlands alone and they would buy it, even if they got an R4-card.

Yeah, well, actions speak louder than words.

 

[Oli]

So their solution to piracy is to make it the only way to play the game?

I never understand people justifying that they're "forced" into piracy.

That said, this is a stupid move and will likely lead to more people pirating the game as you said.

 

[DNF]

So their solution to piracy is to make it the only way to play the game?

It's a trap. They are doing reverse psychology.

 

[Wickerbasket]

So their solution to piracy is to make it the only way to play the game?

Well, the way they see it, if they do put it on sale there they think people won't buy it due to piracy. So they're saving themselves money by not shipping/producing any carts for the region.

I'm sure they have numbers and facts on which they based this decision.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Bene-what?

Bene-who?










...

 

[Sadist]

Way to do business Brizzamila. You fucked up the release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom too.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

Yeah, well, actions speak louder than words.

Luckily, will be released

 

[Firestorm]

Wait so you imported from the US and already have it in the Netherlands while I pre-ordered at a retail EB Games in Canada and still don't have my copy? Why do I even bother with this crap...

 

[ymmv]

Now luckily, I already got my US copy, imported, but in my opinion, this is a really stupid move. I know for a fact that there are a lot of Ace Attorney fans in the Netherlands alone and they would buy it, even if they got an R4-card. I also think that this encourages gamers to buy an R4 flashcard, seeing that'd be the only way to play their favourite game.

If sales of the previous game had been healthy, releasing the game in the Benelux would be a non-issue. I suppose most of your Dutch Ace Attorney fans actually didn't buy anything.

 

[Colocho]

Well, the way they see it, if they do put it on sale there they think people won't buy it due to piracy. So they're saving themselves money by not shipping/producing any carts for the region.

I'm sure they have numbers and facts on which they based this decision.

This. It's stupid to think "hey, now the only way for them to play the game is to pirate it, nice going Capcom!", if actually distributing the game to those places makes them lose money, then they obviously don't give a fuck if it's gonna be pirated.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

Wait so you imported from the US and already have it in the Netherlands while I pre-ordered at a retail EB Games in Canada and still don't have my copy? Why do I even bother with this crap...

I was as surprised as you are. Normally, when I pre-order/buy something from the US it arrives about 3 days later as the US release date, but for some reason they were able to ship it early. Another package from the US for my mom came exceptionally early as well, so it has probably more to do with the shipping itself than the online retailer it came from.

 

[eznark]

I now know what a Benelux is, so there is that

 

[farnham]

somehow i have no interest in this

i just dont like prosecutors.. somehow

 

[The Faceless Master]

somehow i have no interest in this

i just dont like prosecutors.. somehow

don't wanna work for the man huh?

 

[jay]

Wait so you imported from the US and already have it in the Netherlands while I pre-ordered at a retail EB Games in Canada and still don't have my copy? Why do I even bother with this crap...

Obviously you should have pre-ordered the game from Portugal.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

If sales of the previous game had been healthy, releasing the game in the Benelux would be a non-issue. I suppose most of your Dutch Ace Attorney fans actually didn't buy anything.

Well, in a way you are right. The Ace Attorney games never have been huge in Europe, especially the first two. I don't have exact sales figures of course, but Trials & Tribulations and Apollo Justice sold pretty well for a game in a genre where the description niche is an understatement. Games like Rhythm Heaven aren't million-sellers either over here, but they do get released, though it might not be fair to compare a single game to a series.

 

[oblo]

I work in a gamestore in Belgium, I don't like this decision but sadly I can understand it, the only things that sell well on DS are NSMB, Mario Kart, Pokémons, non-games and girlie crap. Most asked question concerning the DS is if we sell R4's. We don't and often get called idiots by customers for it, they have no shame, at all.

 

[X26]

don't these countires have some of the highest average incomes in the world?

 

[Dascu]

Well, I was going to buy this from an online shop like zavvi anyway, but still. This just sucks. Pirates and anti-pirate measures ruining the fun for the rest of us gamers yet again.

 

[JADS]

don't these countires have some of the highest average incomes in the world?

Anecdotal evidence but the amount of piracy, especially on NDS and Wii, is insane around here (Netherlands). A large retailer (Free Recordshop) around here even had plans to stop carrying NDS games. None of my friends or direct family buy there games legally, neither do any of my colleagues. Some of them don't even know that what they are doing is illegal under law, because they think it falls under "de thuiskopie regeling". "The "Thuiskopie regeling" allows you to make a copy of CD and DVD even if you download them from the internet as long as you don't upload. Computer Software and video games are an exception to this law. Highspeed internet for cheap and the fact that almost no one has been prosecuted for illigealy downloading stuff is pretty much why people are pirating games.

After the mess that is known as PW3's release date, the game was released six months after Apollo Justice :lol, I was going to import the game from the States anyways.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

UPDATE:

Just got an e-mail from a friend of mine. Seems that the game will be released but only in early March. Parties are still discussing terms & conditions but most important, the game WILL be released in the Benelux. Rejoice!