Ys

While the last installment in the Ys series, Yeswas released in Japan last September for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5 simultaneously (inform us), we still have to be patient about the release date. As part of a recent financial report released by Nihon Falcom, the development studio behind the Ys series, an investor criticized the graphic design of the latest offshoot of the series. Nihon Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo then commented on this and previous sales figures for Ys X. Our English-speaking colleagues at Nintendo Everything have translated these phrases from Japanese, which we don't want to withhold from you.

First, he faced criticism from an investor, first of all, Graph on PlayStation 5 as noticeably “ambiguous”. He wanted to know in detail whether this was due to technical difficulties, high development costs, a very tight release schedule or perhaps a simultaneous release on Nintendo Switch, which would “pull” the graphics on other platforms.

We've talked about the graphics of Nihon Falcom games in different time periods, and it's a major point of contention that we're clear about. Graphics are expensive because they require time and money. If we ask designers, they will say: “If we have the time and money, we can do anything.” Our basic plan is to release a new game every year.

We are working hard to achieve this goal. We can spend four to five years developing each game, but no other company in this country releases new RPGs every year. We realize the criticisms of the graphics, but I think they get better with each game. Please consider long-term development.

In the past, Y titles were first released on PlayStation systems and were later ported to the Nintendo Switch. Ys X: Nordics is the first title to be released simultaneously for all systems. One investor asked whether… Sales figures Meeting expectations and how the studio managed to achieve this Development process on Nintendo Switch To speed up to enable concurrent publishing.

We don't want to provide any precise information regarding sales numbers, but in terms of share, the PlayStation 5 version represents about 50%, the Nintendo Switch version represents about 30%, and the PlayStation 4 version represents about 20%. . During the planning stages, the PlayStation 5 had not yet launched, but we expected a 50:50 split between the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch systems, but actual results varied.

The Nintendo Switch is the second largest platform after PlayStation systems, so we were able to reach new players with it. Looking to the future, it's difficult to predict what comes after the Nintendo Switch or whether the number of PlayStation 5 consoles sold will increase. This will be crucial to choosing a platform.

I want to continue publishing games on PlayStation systems as well as Nintendo Switch. Originally we also wanted to publish games on Steam, but there weren't enough resources for that. We must continue to do what we are good at in the beginning before we aim to increase sales.

Nihon Falcom isn't the only development studio that focuses more on a tight release schedule than on the graphical look of its games. Do you wish some studios took more time to develop?