Today XSEED Games was kind enough to invite us into their home for some food, gaming, and an interview. The marketing team of Ken Berry and Jimmy Soga answered our tough questions and even brought in heavy hitters Kenji Hosoi, lead for Wild Arms 5, and Michael Engler, lead for Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground, to assist them. Here's the latest.
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(Reader Question) Is there any chance of XSEED localizing older games that have yet to make it to North America such as some of the installments of the Tales series?
XSEED: We are focusing mostly on newer titles. The Tales games have their own production company here in LA, so we likely wouldn't touch them. When looking at games to localize, the company as a whole gets together and asks, "Do we like this game?" If the answer is yes, then we work on trying to get the rights to localize it. Unlike larger producers, we have no steady release schedule, so we work with what we can get as we can get it.
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(Reader Question) You've worked on Wild Arms 4 and now Wild Arms 5, is there is plans in the works to bring the recently annouced PSP title Wild Arms XF over?
XSEED: While we are definitely fans of the Wild Arms series, it's still too early to consider bringing that one over yet.
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(Reader Question) Are there any plans to pick up any PS3, Wii, or Xbox 360 titles?
XSEED: Yes, we have plans, but no official announcements right now. We are open to bringing over any great titles that we get the opportunity to work on. Right now we are working with a good number of PS2 and PSP games. Especially in the case of the PSP, though other publishers see the DS as the best option to bring games over for, we like the PSP. It offers the option for more text, more voice acting and just works better for us. We may spend more on localization, but the cost of goods is lower when working with the PSP, so that's the path we have enjoyed.
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Ok, back to Wild Arms 5. What changes or additions does this game have over Wild Arms 4?
XSEED: Well, first off the game moves back toward the western style of the games prior to the fourth. It has a western feel to it and even the music is western. There is less of a focus on platforming, which was one of the biggest complaints people had about Wild Arms 4. The world map, which was missing in 4, is back. However the popular HEX system from 4 does return and has been improved a good deal. Fans of the first three games and the fourth will all have something to enjoy in Wild Arms 5.
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Along with this interview, XSEED offered us first looks at Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground, Brave Story: New Traveler, and Wild Arms 5. We would like to offer XSEED another big thanks for their hospitality.
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