Re: [RJ120635] [Eclipse works] Ariadne
You make good points about the current state of the market (and reasons why Japanese authors don't want to expose themselves to the wrath of Western hypocrisy... just yet).
I fondly remember stumbling one day upon a game called "
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" (which isn't even an Eroge) as a teen, playing the heck out of it, and wanting to get access the prequel/sequels (there are 5 in total, to my knowledge). I was told that none of the other ones had ever been translated, and would probably never be (the 2 was an "accident"). I couldn't see why. While I could understand there were logistic/licensing processes that needed to be followed, translating such a popular game among its English-speaking players was a no-brainer to me, should the game have to be ordered from overseas afterwards.
Well, today I understand why it didn't happen (see Rapelay). This doesn't mean that the stalemate situation some japanese games (and H-games in particular) find themselves in will never evolve. Offer goes to where demand is, it's a basic business law. The fact is that we start to see Japanese games translated on PC today that we would never have seen before in the West (without Steam) : JRPGs, or games like Dark Souls for one.
There is the issue of piracy of course, but even if producers manage to capture 20%-40% of the "dormant" market (like Steam did in the past), it would be a very signicant and successful first step in the right direction (+ never underestimate the ensueing "snowball" effect). There are people who pirate only by necessity (the game wouldn't be accessible to them otherwise), or by convenience (try ordering a Japan-exclusive game from a Japanese gaming/shipping company once, it's definitely no easy feat!). These people can be convinced. I for example would buy the whole Alicesoft/Eushully collection within minutes (and probably twice, for a friend) if it were to be properly translated and accessible to my credit card. About the remaining 60/80%, well, I am not sure if you'll ever convince them anyway.
Progress will not be achieved overnight. There are companies which keep struggling, even with outstanding/high quality games that aren't Eroge either : Xseed with "TITS/Legend of Heroes", Atlus with "SMT/Persona", Aksys with "9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors", etc. They do however continue their merry way, exploring unknown parts of the video-game galaxy, left abandoned by the "big players" (EA, Activision, etc.), because people push them to do so. Who is able to tell what tomorrow will be made of if the gaming industry continues to strive like it recently did with mobile games (most of which were indie/low-profil) ? Who can tell what the numbers you presented for Ariadne would be if the game had been released as it is (on DLsite English), with no further marketing, but with an official English translation ? What would be the numbers if Eroge games had fetishes more targetted towards (or at least more "compatible" with) a Western public ?
No Apple-store, no law from the US or elsewhere, prevented (some select few, granted) Eroge games from being on Steam today (even if somewhat "neutered"). No law prevented Kickstarter or Offbeatr from happening. If (and as long as) there are people willing to show discriminating towards quality games, and support these games by following up their words with actions (= their money), I am sure that it will happen. I am not here to play on the moralizing trip, but there's no better fitting image than a garden that you'd own : you can either stuff yourself with all of your harvest today, or plant/nurture some of it to reap the benefits tomorrow AND have the rest as a frugal yet enjoyable meal.
I don't do this often, but you're totally right : sales matter.
This game is great, so please consider buying it if you (as in anyone here) can (especially since it seems that we're going to get a good fan-translation of it) ^.^
