Hajime Tabata on Type-0 and Agito being released outside of Japan

[Sora96 17,256]

 

USGamer: I was disappointed it didn't come to the U.S.Is that something you're able to shed some light on? It was a very high-profile Final Fantasy title, the first not localized into English in a long time. That absence was felt by a lot of fans. 

 

HT: Some honesty -- some modified honesty -- is required here. When Type 0 initially came out in Japan, we were already working on a localized version for the game. The work did actually start. It exists, to a degree. But at the time, when that work was progressing, the market for PSP in North America and Europe had very much gotten smaller. The projections we got from our overseas subsidiaries in Europe and the U.S. had also shrunk, together with the market. 

 

But we were very conscious -- I was very conscious -- that despite the fact that we weren't able to provide the title at the time, there were many people who wanted to play it. I heard all the voices calling for it. An idea we had at the time was that, well, if the PSP market is shrinking, then maybe its successor, the PS Vita, was something we could consider for the title. At the time of this proposal, though, when we were talking about a Vita version, the number of Vita units in North America and Europe and what their expectations were, all that was very unclear. This was before it was launched, or right as it was being launched. These kinds of things were unclear, and the company was uncomfortable with going forward on the project without knowing more information about what the expectations were. Our final decision on that was to wait a bit and see what would happen. 

 

This is more than the Tokyo office. This was the feedback we were getting from the overseas subsidiaries. They were all concerned about how well Vita would penetrate the market and how successful it would be. "Concern" is the operative word. They're the people who were closest to the users that would be wanting the product, so their voice was considered very carefully. Their assessment was that it would perhaps be a better idea to go the PS3 HD conversion route, which would be able to take in more users than the PS Vita. 

 

With Agito coming up, our hope – my hope – is that we'll be able to provide users in North America and Europe with both Agito and Type 0 as a full experience.

When that proposal came along, this possible switch to a full console environment, as a person who was developing the title... I thought the general blueprint for how the game was made was for mobile, or at least a mobile console. The distance from which you look at the screen is different, as opposed to looking at a TV. Everything was made for this, the battle system and everything else. Now, if I was going to port it to the console environment, it would need a pretty large overhaul of the game systems. 

 

And that would of course take a lot of time and money and man-hours. The decision we came to in the end was that we would wait until other technologies or other portable console emerged. We would see how the Vita actually did in the western markets. Then it would be more prudent to have a full picture of what was available and what would give us the best environment, both creatively and business-wise, for the game. 

 

This was all going on about a year ago. Now, with Agito coming up, our hope – my hope – is that we'll be able to provide users in North America and Europe with both Agito and Type 0 as a full experience. That would be ideal, if we could provide both for the users. That's the direction we're going in right now. With Agito coming out, we can provide that full experience. 

 

USG: So the prospect of a localized Type-0 isn't entirely off the table? 

 

HT: Yes, it will definitely be localized. Obviously the release of Agito factors into this decision, but it wasn't just that. I now hear from the subsidiaries that Type-0 is something that they really want released in their regions. With Agito coming out -- Agito coming out is a certainty for North America and Europe -- the subsidiaries' opinion was that releasing Agito without having access to Type-0 would not be the best idea. 

 

Well, let me modify this statement a bit. [Type-0's localization] is in the final stages of consideration. It's definitely the direction that we want to go in. Nothing is absolutely concrete right now with release dates or anything like that. But it's definitely something that we want to do. Really, the primary motivation behind wanting to release the whole experience would be all the support and passion and enthusiasm of the North American and European gaming community that has reached out to us and asked for it. I feel very thankful, very grateful for that enthusiasm. 

 

[Note: Tabata and Square Enix later clarified that a U.S. release of Agito has not been confirmed, but that it is being localized with the intent of an overseas release, and that a Type 0 localization is in the final stages of planning. The statement I cited in yesterday's news piece was taken in part from this post-interview conversation.] 

 

USG: So the idea of Type 0 coming west, that would be for PlayStation Network, and not a reworked version for iOS or other smartphones? 

 

HT: Yeah. The current direction that we're going in is not the iOS or Android application route. But like you say, the same platform. It was originally designed for a handheld console environment, so that's what we're going for still. 

 

USG: What is your take on the Vita market in general? 

 

HT: On a personal level, I'm very interested in the Vita as hardware. But I'm very conscious of more practical elements of these game machines. I feel that one big thing we didn't handle well was... We weren't able to permeate the overseas PSP market while it was still at its peak. When Type 0 came out, it had already shrunk to a degree where that wasn't really doable. 

 

 

When I consider the Vita in terms of the market and such, I'm much more concerned about how it's doing overseas – not domestically, here in Japan, but how people react to it in America and in Europe. That's how I'm going to establish priority as far as how seriously I consider Vita development. I'll use the overseas market as more of a compass than the domestic market. If it can make a little more noise than it's doing now, I'll be happy. 

 

My best guess? Type-0 is being ported to PlayStation Vita but they're reluctant to do so since it's selling poorly outside of Japan. And Agito will be released in English.

[tothecikpah 230]

I'm more interested with Agito since it is a prequel of type-0

[Sora96 17,256]

I'm more interested with Agito since it is a prequel of type-0

 

Agito is a spin-off of Type-0.

 

You gonna play it on iOS or Android?

[tothecikpah 230]

Agito is a spin-off of Type-0.

 

You gonna play it on iOS or Android?

android, bigger screen

[kingdomlanelover 494]

I personally think a PS3 HD port would be best. That way it would reach a bigger audience than the Vita would, I get they want to keep it on handheld, but the only handheld selling good worldwide is the 3DS, and it doesn't have the graphics of the Vita.

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

Ah, good to hear something about Type-0 coming overseas. I was pretty sure Agito was going to make it, but Type-0 was seriously in doubt in my mind.