• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What were Nintendo and Atlus thinking when making #FE ?

G

GhostTrick

Banned
This is something I just can't understand.
It was supposed to be a crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei, so, catering to two niche audience and in the end, it's even worse than that, it seems to cater to no one with that idol/high school setting.

The game sold terribly in Japan, in a country when it seemed to have most selling potential, and the game doesn't seem it will do better in West, considering how even more niche than FE or SMT the game is.

This just sounds like the most weird decision 1st party wise so far from Nintendo.

Did they ever explained the decision ? I remember there was a japanese blog for the developpement, but as I don't understand a word of japanese... :p
 
First of all, it's "catering," not "cathering."

Second, the game is fucking weird, but looking at some footage of the actual game now that it's out, it actually looks a lot better than one might expect from the trailers and such.
 
No idea. What they made simply doesn't have an audience on WiiU, and it does nothing for fans of either SMT or FE. Why not reveal it as "Persona Whatever" in the first place? Or simply as a collaboration between Atlus and Nintendo - but not as SMTxFE.

I was hoping for a SRPG :( One without JPop idols.
 
Japanese formula for otaku sales seems to be "when in doubt, high school and idols". Given the new otaku market Nintendo has found with the Fire Emblem franchise, I think they were expecting a combination of said formula and the brand recognition to move a modest amount of copies (the game didn't look very high-budget as far as production values). Guess not.
 
I think that they disappointed a lot of people with what they decided to do with the game.

Especially when you remember the initial teaser that was showing Fire Emblem and SMT characters. Who would have guessed that it would look like this after seeing this teaser (with its classic designs) ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5-EIzDtKo

Will buy it anyway, just to check it by myself.
 
It looks like they gave the game to someone who was more interested in making their own game than actually crossing over FE and SMT. Persona 5, SMTIV-2, and FE Fates were all in development while this was being made, so who is making this anyway?
 
Chacranajxy said:
First of all, it's "catering," not "cathering."

Second, the game is fucking weird, but looking at some footage of the actual game now that it's out, it actually looks a lot better than one might expect from the trailers and such.
Click to expand...



Gameplay wise it looks good... on other department, it still looks bad. Or... I would say kinda special.
 
I wouldn't say catering to the idol audience is catering to no one. That shit is lucrative.

That being said, the audience isn't there for it on Wii U.
 
It's not hard to figure out. People love the shit out of that shit in Japan. TV was plastered with it throughout the entire new year's holiday. Idols are all over magazines. They touched on media themes before in Persona and probably thought that was a part of why P4 resonated more than previous instalments, so they ran with it.

The truly surprising part is that it missed the mark so completely with the audience here in a country where MIku games are such a hit. If it was successful everyone would have just shrugged their shoulders and said "yeah, it's Japan, it figures."
 
How about folks actually play it before saying other wise.

And the real reality here is the Wii U. There's no audience for it there. But what was made is pretty damn special and a really good first HD RPG from Atlus.
 
Nintendo: "hey Atlus, you can use our Fire Emblem characters if you make a Wii U game"

Atlus: "OK sure. Hey team behind the idol monster fighting game, you can make it if you include these Fire Emblem characters and make it for Wii U"

Atlus developers: "OK sure but we're going to make it unique and not another SMT game because the SMT guys are doing that. But we'll try to appeal to the Persona crowd because $. After all that's why we're making a Rise dancing game based on idols."
 
I disagree that its sale potential is biggest in Japan, necessarily. If anything, the US seems to be having a huge JRPG comeback, what with Xenoblade Chronicles X for instance performing better here than in Japan (if I recall correctly).
 
nuts-and-gum-simpsons.jpg
 
Yeah, I really have no clue. Had they made an ACTUAL crossover like with the characters from both series and gameplay elements from them (which is actually what I thought it would be), it would have been great. But looking at this it's....It just doesn't look like either and this will not sell AT ALL in the West. That sort of "idol" thing (in the West) is probably more niche than even those crazy sexualised Vita games.

It really is too bad, I was really excited by the concept initially.
 
cosmicblizzard said:
I wouldn't say catering to the idol audience is catering to no one. That shit is lucrative.

That being said, the audience isn't there for it on Wii U.
Click to expand...




The problem is, this game seems to cater to no one in the end.



kiryogi said:
How about folks actually play it before saying other wise.

And the real reality here is the Wii U. There's no audience for it there. But what was made is pretty damn special and a really good first HD RPG from Atlus.
Click to expand...



Not planning to buy it at all to be honest. The whole setting isn't an appealing one imo.
 
kiryogi said:
How about folks actually play it before saying other wise.
Click to expand...

Nah, I reserve the right to be an unmitigated dick on this one game. I won't be like this with anything else this year, I promise. I just really dislike the high school and especially idol fixations coming out of the country that used to produce a ton of content catered to my interests, and seeing the culmination of a big crossover between two generally-decent franchises turn into this thing has me all hot and bothered and not in a good way.

I've gotten it out of my system now, though. I'll be OK now.
 
I'd like to know what happened in development when they were like "let's make it persona instead"


tbh I've only seen one gameplay video but that's what it seemed to me, I'll still get
 
IMO the problem isn't with the game, the problem is how it was initially revealed and marketed. It was SMT x FE, not Idolmaster.

Assuming it comes out before P5 I'm still buying it.
 
Oni Link 666 said:
It looks like they gave the game to someone who was more interested in making their own game than actually crossing over FE and SMT. Persona 5, SMTIV-2, and FE Fates were all in development while this was being made, so who is making this anyway?
Click to expand...

I believe a lot of the team was the ones handling the Devil Survivor games, and the director previously worked on Radiant Historia and Strange Journey.

To respond to the OP: the game was announced at a very, very early stage. While I don't think they've given an explicit "this is why we changed to this topic", I imagine it was a combination of what the team wanted to do (a modern-day game inspired by FE and SMT) and what was marketable.

Ultimately, I can't help but feel it would've been better if they had waited and announced when they had a better concept, but at the time the Wii U was in desperate need of new game announces.
 
Trace said:
IMO the problem isn't with the game, the problem is how it was initially revealed and marketed. It was SMT x FE, not Idolmaster.

Assuming it comes out before P5 I'm still buying it.
Click to expand...
A lot of ignorance in here indeed. They moved away from the moniker of SMT x FE after reveal and even went on to label it Atlus x FE. That's what we got in the end and it's pretty damn good.

And it's not even idolmaster. It's 4 singers and 3 actors.
 
kiryogi said:
They moved away from the moniker of SMT x FE after reveal
Click to expand...
It was still a terrible idea to announce it as something that it was not, though.In the end it really harmed the perception of the game. Hey, it's sad people judge it for what it's not, but it turns out, what it is doesn't seem to have an audience on the platform.
 
GSR said:
I believe a lot of the team was the ones handling the Devil Survivor games, and the director previously worked on Radiant Historia and Strange Journey.

To respond to the OP: the game was announced at a very, very early stage. While I don't think they've given an explicit "this is why we changed to this topic", I imagine it was a combination of what the team wanted to do (a modern-day game inspired by FE and SMT) and what was marketable.

Ultimately, I can't help but feel it would've been better if they had waited and announced when they had a better concept, but at the time the Wii U was in desperate need of new game announces.
Click to expand...



Well to be fair, I don't think the initial reveal is the big problem here. Worse than that, I think that without the initial reveal, the game wouldn't have much reactions at all in West, being positive or negative.
 
GhostTrick said:
The problem is, this game seems to cater to no one in the end.
Click to expand...

How so? It looks like Persona with Fire Emblem characters and idols. Not for everyone, but it has an appealing aesthetic and solid art design all around, even if some aren't crazy about the setting. It's also apparently really friggin good. The thread is pretty active for an import OT as well.

I think it will get some solid reception when it comes over, even if it doesn't have the sales to match it.
 
Breakbeat said:
Japanese formula for otaku sales seems to be "when in doubt, high school and idols". Given the new otaku market Nintendo has found with the Fire Emblem franchise, I think they were expecting a combination of said formula and the brand recognition to move a modest amount of copies (the game didn't look very high-budget as far as production values). Guess not.
Click to expand...
You don't sell the numbers Awakening did by marketing to otaku.



Otoh, you do sell the numbers #FE did by marketing to otaku.
 
Oni Link 666 said:
It looks like they gave the game to someone who was more interested in making their own game than actually crossing over FE and SMT. Persona 5, SMTIV-2, and FE Fates were all in development while this was being made, so who is making this anyway?
Click to expand...

You should check out more on the game. There's a lot of FE and SMT to be had in there from what i've seen of a friend's copy. Just because they don't beat you over the head with it being in your face all the time doesn't mean it's not in there.
 
RM8 said:
It was still a terrible idea to announce it as something that it was not, though.In the end it really harmed the perception of the game. Hey, it's sad people judge it for what it's not, but it turns out, what it is doesn't seem to have an audience on the platform.
Click to expand...
How many more Posts and topics are we going to keep seeing around this. I swear there was a former topic on this very same thing and I'm pretty sure there was a interview that answered said questions. If I wasn't on mobile I'd look it up and post it.

A Link to the Snitch said:
So uh, is it a good game?
Click to expand...
It's friggen good. I've been in over 25 hours so far and can't complain. If there was any real problem with the title it's the load times.
 
Regulus Tera said:
You don't sell the numbers Awakening did by marketing to otaku.

Otoh, you do sell the numbers #FE by marketing to otaku.
Click to expand...

This.

Otaku market is small and niche when it comes to absolute volumes in terms of units sold.

If devs cater to otaku market thinking it'll sell, they need to fire whoever is in charge of biz strategy.

Honestly? I'd sooner believe idol and otaku stuff are in the games because the developers themselves are fans of idol and otaku stuff.

These stuff are ultimately developed by Japanese, whose taste in multimedia and cultural inclination are occasionally quite different from westerners. Just because westerners are weirded out by "idol" stuff doesn't mean the developers are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A bunch of former Atlus staff making a new RPG with Compile Heart. OG Atlus cofounder Okada on board.
14
406
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt replied
Duskbloods and Eldin Ring were missing from the direct. What's up with that?
26
204
LakeOf9 replied
  • Poll
Imagine all games were available on all platforms in the next generation - what two things are most important to you when picking where you play?
2 3
100
806
Polaris replied
  • Poll
When do you think the next 3D Mario will release?
Poll 
34
108
kpopSuperstar replied
F ZERO and Wipeout were cool but...
41
819
Alexios replied
Top Bottom