Nihon Falcom President Would "Definitely" Like to Release Games on Nintendo Switch

Talk is cheap. They all say they like the Switch but then do nothing.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE There you go, let it all out...

Searching for an opportunity? I don't know, maybe announce 2-3 games from your catalog for the Switch?

Not trying to be negative or anything but everytime a developer says this, they really mean that they have absolutely zero plans on releasing their games on a nintendo system but they want to trick fans into thinking they eventually will (95% of the time, they don't release their games). I'm pretty sure these statement s were said all the time during the early years of the Wii U...and we all know well that went.

@Elanczewski I'd even be happy with some ports of older games that never made it over here.

@NickOfTime90 He's not wrong though. Publishers say this all the time and proceed not to release anything at all. We've seen it before.

"The studio is known for creating JRPGs such as The Legend of Heroes, Xanadu, and the effing YS series(!!), and would surely make an ideal fit for the Switch. "

FTFY

And yeah, I hope Falcom jumps ship to the Switch. It certainly seems like the best option for spiritual successor to the Vita, for all of the amazing JRPGs and other quirky titles. The Vita has been gold for non-mainstream titles over the last several years.

I can't believe it has been over two decades since we last saw a Nihon Falcom game on Nintendo hardware (1995, "Y's5 : Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand" on Super Famicom). I really enjoyed their games back in the day and have been missing out all of their latest, current gen games sadly. Hope this become a reality.

@Snaplocket I know their waiting to see how well the switch performs first before they start taking any drastic steps to supporting the switch, but I've seen this situation many times in the past and on most occasions it's just empty words. I would love to be proven wrong though.

If they're not going to make another Ys game that plays like the original I, II, and IV, they can keep them.

@Shiryu Is it a coincidence that the last original Ys game on a Nintendo platform is the first to introduce button controls and also took away what made Ys so unique in the first place?

@Octane of course, the more games the better. But how about we stay a little positive, there are already a lot of good games here and on the way. The system released just a few months ago.

@BinaryFragger Even if the switch does keep it's high momentum in sales, I still have a slight feeling they won't release any of their games on the switch, though that would absolutely nonsensical. Again, I'm obviously being overly-cynical about the whole thing and I would love it if they did eventually release their games on the switch

I would love more RPGs on switch. To me it's a perfect console for it. Now just need time to go back and play all of the trails games in my backlog...

@Tarolusa question: what's the upside to "tricking" people, particularly "fan"?? That sounds like a great way to generate ill will...

@Shiryu chances are they will. They released their games on Vita because it's popular in Japan despite selling even less than Wii U worldwide - why wouldn't they support the platform people still aren't above queuing up and playing lotteries to get? Trust Japan to give portable gaming the credit it deserves.

@ECMIM My wording was really bad, my mistake. I know they obviously won't be tricking people in a malicious way, they'll be basically asking for hate and negativity that way. I just think they're giving empty words that don't hold any depth to them but we just have to wait and see if they do genuinely mean those words and do release their games on the switch.

I'll take Ys VIII to go.

"but they want to trick fans into thinking they eventually will"

And what's meant to be the motive behind this? Making fans buy a console they won't release games on? Sure, profit over 9000. No, sarcasm aside, I really can't think of what they would gain from such tricks. I mean, trolling and dissapointing fans IS welcome from my cynical perspective, but I'm not a publisher either.

@NickOfTime90 Hard to stay positive when they do this all the time, it was the same situation with the Wii U. Developers loved it, and said they would love to make games for it (even VALVE said this), yet never touched the system.

@nhSnork Sorry my wording was really bad, I obviously know they won't actively deceive their fans to buy a system they won't plan to support. I just feel like their giving empty words that don't hold any substance but I'm most likely just being overly-negative. I would love to be proven wrong and seeing their games on the Switch would be great.

@Joeynator3000 I don't recall a lot of devs saying they wanted their games on WiiU. I remember a lot of devs saying things like "wouldn't rule it out" and "we'd certainly consider it if there's demand". But nothing was proactive, and the console never sold. Around Switch most of these comments are more proactive. "If the opportunity presents" seems more like "Hey Nintendo, call me!"

@Tarolusa wishes and interests aren't empty words, but they don't hold obligations either. Unless the platform owner finances the port, it's an investment of money and man-hours on their own side, so this stuff isn't decided on a whim. Such comments turn heads their way for other reasons even if they don't spell any guarantees. And it's especially irrational to mock industry folks about their "Switch is cool, I have one myself" comments like some on this site tend to do - personal positive experience with the console only increases whatever odds there are AND indicates having an first-hand idea about the platform's strengths and features.

All of them please ...ALL OF THEM! Or at least ...A good bunch of them. Nihon Falcom is THE most underappreciated game developer ever, and more people should get the chance to dive into their epic RPG catalogue, both recent and classic titles. Ys, especially.

@nhSnork To be fair the "switch is cool, I have one myself" comments deserve mockery. They're a chorus and generally a transition into an open statement or subtle implication that "it's a box for Zelda, and games for very young children.....but not for 'real' games like the one we're making!" The way it's used often seems to be an oft repeated setup for the typical stereotyping of a Nintendo machine.

That applies only to Western publishers and Squeenix, however. Falcom wouldn't fall into that camp.

Don't even need new titles. Just bring all the Heroes titles to the west. And Ys. Job done.

@nhSnork Gosh I feel really dumb right now, I don't really know how to respond to this.I'm obviously being too hard on them and not giving them a chance. Hopefully when the time is right and they see the benefit of developing their software on the switch they'll release their games on it.

Falcom only release games on Sony hardware in recent times, consoles and handhelds I mean the up and coming legend of heroes 3 is a ps4 exclusive and Ys VIII is coming soon to vita and ps4 in the West, can't see them releasing for switch anytime soon if at all. I won't buy a switch until it gets plenty Japanese niche games, so I will stick with vita for now, I only play Japanese games. Also many devs have talked up similar to this and nothing comes of it. PS4 will be the Japanese niche sucessor, it's already got loads and there are a shed load of new ones announced that won't be coming to vita, even though vita has many announced for rest of this year and next, maybe 2019 or 2020 switch will get loads when the vita is put to rest, until then ps4 and vita rule the roost when it comes to Japanese niche games, obviously switch will get some as well, even 3Ds will get a few more here in the west

Trails of Cold Steel trilogy on Switch please

There's no reason for Cold Steel 3 to not run on the Switch, as the graphical enhancements are fairly minor compared to the PS3 games.

At the moment, this is all talk. But since they plan to ditch the Vita turning to a new handheld unit is probably going to sound appealing to them sooner or later given the length of their games and the current state of Japan's marktet.

@nhSnork I really hope so. I'm getting really tired of 3rd parties not committing to the Switch for real.

Y's!!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE or are under NDAs which I want to be optimistic about and say that all of those who have voiced their opinions but said little else actually have stuff in the works that they just can't talk about yet, it's a dream, sure, but for some I'm sure it's actually the case.

@introvert This! How did they not mention Ys!

@jruasap No idea. Amazing games. I've never really played them before (I played Ys III as a kid but that was it), but I'm currently playing through the whole series because a friend has been bugging me to do so for years. I've made it through Origin, 1-3, and currently blazing through Celceta. I'm having a tremendous amount of fun with them.

@introvert Yup! I had never heard of the series until I started collecting for the TurboGrafx-16 years ago. I've only played 1, 2, 7, Celceta, and Origins but haven't finished them all. I'm also trying to slowly work my way through the series, and can't wait till 8 comes out.

Trail of cold steel was an amazing game. I am currently playing trail of cold steel 2 on my ps vita. Love this game.
Definitely want to play steel 3. An i prefer it to be on a portable system.
It will take me another 2 month to complete cold steel 2. If the developer commits to the switch by then. I wait for the game.
Otherwise i will chase it down on the ps4 if it not coming to the ps vita

@EDF i feel the same way. My ps vita is my most played system. But i brought a switch for zelda and mk8.
Even after buying a switch, the ps vita is still the system i play the most because off jrpg.
I believe are jrpg will be slowly release on the switch. Just a matter off being patience.

The Trails of Cold Steel series is excellent. Some of the best JRPGs of the last decade.
They also ported the first 2 to Vita so obviously have some good porting talent.

Who?!

@brendon987
Nah cold steel 3 is a ps4 exclusive, many others coming to vita though

Ultimately I think you'll see a lot of Japanese and other Asian companies that make rpg for the vita currently move to the Switch. As the Vita is definitely in its twilight and the technology ages, the Switch is not only more powerful, but offers the next gen handheld for these companies

@NEStalgia like someone in their right mind can imply Zelda games are "not real games", especially after BotW's scale and success. "Nintendo for kids" attitude started no later than GameCube era (although it was never really rooted in reality, people just looked at Mario's cartoony graphics and went on to step on the proverbial yet caveman-minded "Animation Age Ghetto" rake), but not every developer commentary necessarily devolves into this.

Ys was on Nintendo machines, ergo by dev logic they should port the more recent entries over. I'd double dip.

As cool as this would be, Falcom's never been big on Nintendo. Pretty much all games they ported to Nintendo systems back in the day (Ys I through III, Dragon Slayer, Popful Mail, Brandish) resulted in the worst versions available, and the one time they did make an original game for Nintendo we got Ys V, which is arguably the only bad Ys game. Nowadays they've only got a very small amount of employees and they're pretty much always working on their next game, so ports have to be outsourced if they happen. I don't really see this happening, going by recent releases I think it's more likely they'll jump ship back to PC development.

Ys is good and all, but if you like JRPGs at all you should really try the Trails games, they've quickly become my favourite RPG series of all time. At the rate we're currently going it's looking like all of them will be available on Steam eventually (5/7 currently announced or released, and Cold Steel III will most likely also get a PC port).

@Equinox Actually, Ys 1 and 2 was on the DS. It was called "Legacy of Ys: Books I & II ", and Ys IV was on the SNES. So yes, they have supported Nintendo in the past. They could change their mind about supporting the Switch, but as these games aren't really appealing to NIntendo fans (at least in the past), I can see why they would be hesitant.

@Shiryu Errr! Try again. Books was released in 2009
http://stageselect.com/47767--Reviews--legacy-of-ys-books-i-ii.aspx

Falcom JRPGs are amazing. Really hope this happens. Also, Ys VIII hype.

@MegaTen
Hmm nah, have you looked recently at all the games announced for ps4, Japanese niche games I mean, looks like the ps4 is taking over from vita not switch when it comes to these games, it already has loads with a crazy amount coming and many exclusive to ps4. Also vita still has many to come this and next year announced, switch is only getting a trickle at the moment. None of the games you mentioned above will make it to switch, maybe new additions but I doubt it, their biggest audience is on Sony machines not Nintendo, hence why they haven't bothered much with Nintendo hardware, I do hope many Japanese games come to switch then I will buy one but only if they don't come to ps4 and vita, otherwise what is the point, I only play Japanese games and Vita is king for that followed by ps4, at this moment in time switch don't get a look in, it's way down when it comes to Japanese games

Either way, I don't mind whether they support Nintendo hardware or not, as YS is a system seller for me, anyway. Bought Vita just for YS 7 & Celceta, joined Steam for YS 1&2, Oath in Felghana, Origin, and Napishtim, and will definitely get a PS4 for YS 8 when it's eventually localized.

Considering Falcom's Vita support, they might not be about the best selling hardware, but simply what they feel like supporting. I'd still invest in a glorious Switch YS provided it was a game I didn't already possess in my collection.

You can tell I'm a massive YS nut, right?

P.S. To the guy who constantly bemoans the lack of the original "bump system" from the originals: you serious? YS 1 & 2 were fun, and bumping was cool and unique, but it'd feel way too clunky and archaic these days, so how about no? This coming from someone who played YS Book 1 & 2 obsessively until ever venturing further to the newer titles. The system established in Felghana, Napishtim, and Origin is still the most intuitive and engrossing one -simply refine and expand it and you have a winning formula.

I would certainly like to have some YS games on Switch, I was a big fan of Book 1&2 back on Wii Virtual Console.

I'm a huge fan of the Ys series so would love to see this happen. They have shown a lot of support for the Vita, so this would make sense as Sony don't look like making a new portable any time soon.

@Olaf-symbiote Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is coming out on PS4 and Vita in the US on September 12th and in Europe on September 15th.

@Olaf-symbiote @BionicDodo Ys 8 also coming to Steam, so....I hope you had another reason to get a PS4, unless your hardware can't run the game.

After completing Ys Book I & II 100% on Wii Virtual Console, I always wanted to continue with Ys III but nothing came. I liked the turbo-paced battles, the world design, puzzles, bosses, and music. I really enjoyed it, it was also my first ever Turbografx CD game.