The beautiful-looking action, crafting and farming title Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin might seem like the perfect fit for the Switch, but believe it or not, this system wasn't originally part of the plan.
Speaking to Siliconera, XSEED games executive vice president, Kenji Hosoi, revealed how Nintendo actually approached them (a subsidiary of Marvelous) on multiple occasions about bringing the game to the hybrid platform. It seems Edelweiss' hard work has paid off - as the Switch version of the game had about "2-to-1" pre-orders over the PlayStation 4 release.
Here it is in the Hosoi's words:
Initially our plan was to release on PC and PS4 only, but after Sakuna was announced as being in the works, our Nintendo contact at the time reached out to us on more than one occasion to consider releasing the game on the Nintendo Switch as well.
We were initially hesitant on the first few reach-outs, as it just was not part of the original plan and we would have had to reschedule everything, but after multiple talks with Nintendo and hearing how passionate they were about the game, we ultimately decided to release the game on the Switch as well.
That wasn’t an easy ask for Edelweiss, but we all agreed that Switch would be a great platform for the game. In hindsight, we’re glad we took their request seriously as we have nothing but appreciation towards Nintendo for actively showcasing the game, and in terms of sales impact, we’re seeing great launch orders on the Switch—about a 2-to-1 over PS4.
Will you be picking this one up on the Switch? Tell us down below.
[source siliconera.com]
Comments 50
More developers need to give the Switch a chance! It's a great market. As for the game, I'm just waiting to see a review before I decide whether I'm getting it or not, but I'm definitely interested.
Hopefully they can convince XSeed to bring over Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 to NA, nice to hear Japan is getting them. Increases our chances I think.
Waiting on my preorder to ship! Been looking forward to this since the initial announcement.
Also good on Nintendo for courting devs.
Switch is a lucrative market for the right product. I wouldn't expect demanding AAA stuff to perform well (although I recall hearing that CDPR was happy with how TW3's Switch port performed). But stuff like Sakuna, Ys, Trails, and so on? The Switch crowd eats stuff like that for breakfast.
As someone who adored Muramasa, Sakuna looks like the latest cool game that reminds me of it. Which makes me mad at myself for having never played any of the other games that remind me of Muramasa. I hope I don't make that mistake this time, and get this one...relatively soon?
This game looks beautiful! And pretty unique. I’m looking forward to it...at some point!
Xseed just localized it, right? I’d guess they mainly had to convince Marvelous and Edelweiss.
I have already seen on youtube review of the game and it is good. Has some Muramasa vibe with the "rice farming" mechanic at the side
Nintendo has an eye for talent, potential, and fun. This is what they saw here, and according to an interview with Rare guys at PlayTonic now, they remarked that Nintendo was really encouraging and a lot different from when Microsoft took over back then because they were not just a business, but gamers and programmers too.
Bit odd to hear stories about sales hesitation at this stage of the game with Switch, especially japan-centric titles. But that’s what they’re saying
Unlikely to be XSEED, as they're the NA localisers. I think you mean Marvelous.
@Arckadius maybe but still unlikely. Anything Falcom that Xseed ports is due to Falcom doing the heavy lifting port wise. Xseed would have to work (or pay for the rights) with the team porting it to Switch to bring it overseas.
@RainbowGazelle Even though the interview was with XSEED? So why would XSEED say they had to be convinced if it wasn't them who needed convincing to do the port?
Hmm. Game looks interesting. Hadn't heard of it before but I may get it.
I havent heard of this game, but after looking at the trailer im convinced. I love the artstyle and it looks fun to play.
Looks great! I thought it was more Okami-like in terms of camera control but the platforming looka outstanding, can't wait for the review
There's quite a few reviews out already. The SwitchUp review is worth watching and they give it 88%. I have Muramasa, Dragon's Crown and Odin Sphere on my Vita and this seems to be scratching the same itch. I'm in. Unfortunate they chose to release it on the same day as Age of Calamity though.
I've been playing it for an hour or so. Combat is lacking compared to Muramasa, feels a bit 'spongy'. Art/graphics amazing with just a bit of judder. Dialogue is good but could grate after a while. A solid 7 from me based on first imoressions, could go higher (hopefully will).
What a beautiful art style. Painterly.
@Haruki_NLI XSEED are a subsidiary of Marvelous. So when the spokesperson is saying "we", I believe he's referring to Marvelous and XSEED together as a whole, but XSEED are not the developers, so they'd have no control over which platform the game is on.
developers hesitant to release they games on Nintendo consoles(even if they are sucefull), is a estigma that Nintendo still carry always, most/all developer release they games on Sony/Microsoft consoles(since sucess is almost garanteed there),dominance of Nintendo games in the top 10 selling games of they plataform, underpowered compared to it competidor and not doing a tradicional/standard console like Xbox e PlayStation since the Game Cube era, are the reason most/all developer refuse to release games in Nintendo consoles, if Nintendo manage to make a console that is both inovative and powerful, maybe most/all developers will start releasing they games on Nintendo consoles.
I just don't understand why anyone would still be hesitant to bring their games to the Switch. I could understand why anyone would be hesitant at launch because of the whole WiiU debacle but now? Stories like these pop up all the time showing that 3rd party and indie games not only sell well on the system but often times even more so than on other platforms.
Anyway, I'll definitely get the game on Switch because it scratches my itch for a Muramasa game.
@Giancarlothomaz they don't want power though - they prefer to provide an alternate system that is not seen as a direct competitor to the other two and yet fills a void the other two create.
@MajinSoul I think their hesitation came more from the fact that to release both platforms simultaneously, they would have to delay the PS4 version by a huuuuge length of time, which means they're not making any money off of the game for much longer than originally planned.
I played the PS4 version at E3 over three years ago, so I can understand why they'd be hesitant to push it back for this long. A lot can happen in three years and they'd already marketed the game quite a bit so they might have been afraid they'd be old news by the time they finished a Switch version
I'm glad they did, because I was torn over getting this game on Steam
I'm gonna get flak for this, but Nintendo gamers have always been "gamers" in the truest sense of the word. By that I mean I would be willing to bet that Nintendo gamers, by and large, are the most diverse audience and have the most diverse genre interests.
MS and Sony have sort of pigeon-holed their consoles and, to a relatively equal degree, their audiences, into a very specific corner. They absolutely eat up the Call of Duties, Red Dead Redemptions, and other AAA action games, but when they try to hype games outside that niche, the results are usually much smaller. For example, when Crash 4 comes to Switch, I'd bet anything it ends up selling more on Switch than anywhere else, even if it takes a bit of time.
I really don't see any reason why any smaller game or indie game would not want to come to Switch.
It's not a surprise that Nintendo gamers enjoy novelty in gaming more than the other platforms — just look at the history of the hardware! However, I'm so glad Nintendo keeps up the fight for the unexpected, the charming, and the fun — the course correction of also focusing on those who want the ability to get that "Nintendo hard" challenge when they want it just makes it all the sweeter, now.
Encouraging news for those of us who want to see some of XSEED's IP holdings release on the Switch. Like the first two Trails of Cold Steel entries.
@rallydefault I've been saying this for a while now. Nintendo gamers are more interested in a diverse collection of games, most ps and Xbox players just want cutting edge graphics and a good narrative. Take a look at the top 10 best selling ps4 games 9/10 of the top sellers are action games either action adventure or action role-playing. Switch's top 10 has eight separate genres covered in the top ten.
The reason indies and smaller budgeted games thrive on switch (especially in the west) is because people who spend $500 on a console that delivers bleeding edge graphics, mostly want to see those dollars on display meaning indies and non AAA games get overlooked.
is this game coming to the states?
So happy this game is coming to Switch. I'm going to get it on physical.Every time, more and more developers are joining the Switch cruise.
I am just happy to see Switch community happy.
@Giancarlothomaz success with a company which was overwhelmed by its Japanese competitors twice in a row?
@Chowdaire @rallydefault I completely agree. Most people that play Nintendo play all different types of genres and graphic diverse games. It's about fun not how real it looks. Hell I still play my atari 2600. Most games for newer systems are stressful for the most part anymore and are 20x longer than most Nintendo games. I'm sorry I'm not interested in any game that takes me a month to bet at 4 hours a day. Another great reason to love Nintendo.
I'm not saying anything nobody else has already said before, but, THIS is a great example/use case for all devs/publishers to keep in mind moving forwards. PS5/Xbox Series are great consoles, but their reach is not as large or as diverse as what Nintendo has.
With the Switch they have produced the perfect hybrid, just powerful enough to support most modern gaming experiences but far more accessible. Gaming should not be defined only by resolution and frame rates, it should be defined by great experiences. Any Art Director worth his salt can squeeze amazing things out of the Switch if they just put their mind to it and get creative. The fact is the average person doesnt give a ***** about 'x' millkion particle effects and 100FPS in 4K. We just want beautiful well considered experiences. The Switch is THE platform, sometimes working with constraints is what brings out the most creativity. Most 'next gen' games just end up being beautiful looking but empty experiences.
I LOVE my Switch, I love the diversity available on the platform, I love how easy it all is. I also want to play Cyberpunk , but thats another thing.
I hope Devs and publishers wake up and realise Switch is where its at, you can take risks, you can be creative, it's the Indie movie of systems. Some of them turn out gangbusters.
Well this is a nifty looking game I had never heard of before. Gonna add this to my wishlist of upcoming games.
It's nice to see developers admit they were initially wrong about skipping the Switch platform and how well their preorder sales are doing. Other devs may see that and reconsider games they weren't going to bring to Switch.
@Arckadius I hope it happens. I holding off in getting Trains of Cold Steel 3 because of that
Getting the divine edition for Christmas!
@RPGamer I don't, but I'll check it out! Thank you for letting me know
@deafswin37 it released today in the US eShop.
I seriously dont get developers leaving money on the table by not putting their games on the switch. Unless your game is to graphicaly demanding, a switch sku would be smart business wise.
@realityxaidan Oh stop being a sissy and just take a risk! (Lol, I hope you can see I meant that good-naturedly. But for real, I understand it may turn out to be flawed, but there’s more than enough charm and action for this guy to take the plunge. Definitely want to support efforts that look this good... I mean the graphics/art style alone... Damn.)
Oh, and I read somewhere that Japanese voice acting is an option, which is great! (Hope it’s true in the US version... I assume so, but haven’t confirmed.)
The farming part looks really nice, but the platforming part kind of ruins it for me. So I guess the subtitle is pretty fitting.
@realityxaidan There is a review on Push Square! https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/sakuna_of_rice_and_ruin
I know it is not on Nintendo life, but it is on one of there Sister sites so yeah that's cool.
@Giancarlothomaz The GameCube was more powerful than the PS2, so you may wish to revise your theory that developers don't want to release games on Nintendo systems because of power.
Why wouldn't there be more pre orders for switch than a console that's about to become outdated with the ps5 release.
@twztid13 thanks and the game looks good
Looks good, now how about Shadow Hearts: The HD Collection?
Seems like XSEED has forgiven Nintendo for ***** them over with Devil's Third? 🤔
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