Thoughts on the future of Lunar
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:27 am
I have been thinking lately about what Gung Ho is trying to do with the Lunar series. This is just some thoughts and observations I've been having about any future releases for the series.
First, Shigema seems to be on board for a Lunar 0 or Lunar 3 I have gathered from his blog posts and interviews. Which is great considering the travesty that was Lunar:DS which came out without his consultation. Game Arts seems to have had an interest in continuing the Lunar series back in the day considering in 2001 Victor Ireland leaked Lunar 3 preplanning was going on. Game Arts CEO was very angry at Vic for saying anything about Lunar 3's development since they wanted to be secretive about the project.
However, Gung Ho, who owns Game Arts now to my knowledge, has replaced almost all Game Art's executive staff and is likely in this for strictly profitability reasons, which is not saying Game Arts old executives were not in this for profit mostly too but they may have a serious investment in the Lunarverse by this point and may have nostalgia for the series something Gung Ho certainly doesn't have. I do remember the old CEO of Game Arts expressing quite a bit of nostalgia for the Lunar series in an interview back around 2000. One thing that tipped me off to new management at Game Arts other than Victor Ireland saying it was hard working with Game Arts now since his contacts are gone is the fact they worked with Shigema for Lunar:SSH. I mean the old execs at Game Arts countersued his company into bankruptcy I doubt there was any serious desire to work with each other again after that. Observe Lunar:DS's absence of his input. That said I have been thinking that Gung Ho in the wake of Lunar:DS, Lunar Legend, and now Lunar:SSH's abysmal Japanese sales may consider the series dead by now. None of the handheld Lunar's have been very profitable and they've faired very poorly compared to sales of SSSC and EBC. To make the IP profitable would likely take a huge risk of making a console version of Lunar 0 or Lunar 3, but I seriously doubt Gung Ho would take that risk for reasons I'll explain in a little.
With an IP you consider dead you can sit on it until a more opportune time to try it out again comes along but I doubt this will happen. Seriously Lunar:SSH, according to Shigema, has everything he wants in it. The music was also orchestrated and upgraded and the only thing they can do to that game to make it any better in the next few years is make it a console port with upgraded graphics and more modern gameplay but that is a very dangerous option considering the costs for artists and graphic designers for any of the newer, or I assume, future consoles. I mean art is one of the most costly things games have nowadays. Its this serious cost to produce console RPGs lately that makes me believe Lunar 0 or Lunar 3 are dead before they get out of the stall because it'd cost millions to make such a game with the hope people will buy it a hope that may not seem feasible after the last decade of poor performers. Not only that what happens if a remake or an entirely new game sells like Lunar:SSH in Japan? Gung Ho could sink millions in another remake or a new game and make very little off of it or not even break even. It is also against the grain of what I've been seeing with JRPGs lately and that's making them for handhelds to shave costs unless you're pretty sure you can do well with the game. There is the possibility of a remake for another handheld in say five years with better graphics and more modern gameplay though and they may do that but I have doubts this will happen. Its taking a long term risk on an IP that hasn't been very profitable in the last decade and none of the handheld Lunars have been great sellers. The heyday of the IP was back when it was on consoles and had a budget behind it.
Another thing you can do with an IP you think is worthless is shelve it forever but I really hope that doesn't happen. But Gung Ho may just try and get as much money out of the Lunar franchise as possible by doing the Lunar Touch game and PSN SSSC and EBC, which I heard may be in the works, and call it quits after that.
Lastly, something you can do with an IP you think is worthless is sell it and that's what I think Gung Ho may try to do. I've been wondering if any companies would be interested though and I have been wondering what Gung Ho could try to do to make the IP seem more appealing to be purchased outright.
We've been waiting for Lunar 3 since like 1995 and I am increasingly convinced it will never come out of the people who own the IP currently. Well that concludes my thoughts so what do you guys and gals think? Could Gung Ho sell Lunar's IP? Is Lunar a viable IP if it goes on sale? Who would buy it? Would Gung Ho take a real risk with a console game after a decade of lackluster performance? I have so many questions after thinking about things for a while now and time will give us answers but I wanted to see if you guys and gals had any thoughts or had heard of any rumors.
First, Shigema seems to be on board for a Lunar 0 or Lunar 3 I have gathered from his blog posts and interviews. Which is great considering the travesty that was Lunar:DS which came out without his consultation. Game Arts seems to have had an interest in continuing the Lunar series back in the day considering in 2001 Victor Ireland leaked Lunar 3 preplanning was going on. Game Arts CEO was very angry at Vic for saying anything about Lunar 3's development since they wanted to be secretive about the project.
However, Gung Ho, who owns Game Arts now to my knowledge, has replaced almost all Game Art's executive staff and is likely in this for strictly profitability reasons, which is not saying Game Arts old executives were not in this for profit mostly too but they may have a serious investment in the Lunarverse by this point and may have nostalgia for the series something Gung Ho certainly doesn't have. I do remember the old CEO of Game Arts expressing quite a bit of nostalgia for the Lunar series in an interview back around 2000. One thing that tipped me off to new management at Game Arts other than Victor Ireland saying it was hard working with Game Arts now since his contacts are gone is the fact they worked with Shigema for Lunar:SSH. I mean the old execs at Game Arts countersued his company into bankruptcy I doubt there was any serious desire to work with each other again after that. Observe Lunar:DS's absence of his input. That said I have been thinking that Gung Ho in the wake of Lunar:DS, Lunar Legend, and now Lunar:SSH's abysmal Japanese sales may consider the series dead by now. None of the handheld Lunar's have been very profitable and they've faired very poorly compared to sales of SSSC and EBC. To make the IP profitable would likely take a huge risk of making a console version of Lunar 0 or Lunar 3, but I seriously doubt Gung Ho would take that risk for reasons I'll explain in a little.
With an IP you consider dead you can sit on it until a more opportune time to try it out again comes along but I doubt this will happen. Seriously Lunar:SSH, according to Shigema, has everything he wants in it. The music was also orchestrated and upgraded and the only thing they can do to that game to make it any better in the next few years is make it a console port with upgraded graphics and more modern gameplay but that is a very dangerous option considering the costs for artists and graphic designers for any of the newer, or I assume, future consoles. I mean art is one of the most costly things games have nowadays. Its this serious cost to produce console RPGs lately that makes me believe Lunar 0 or Lunar 3 are dead before they get out of the stall because it'd cost millions to make such a game with the hope people will buy it a hope that may not seem feasible after the last decade of poor performers. Not only that what happens if a remake or an entirely new game sells like Lunar:SSH in Japan? Gung Ho could sink millions in another remake or a new game and make very little off of it or not even break even. It is also against the grain of what I've been seeing with JRPGs lately and that's making them for handhelds to shave costs unless you're pretty sure you can do well with the game. There is the possibility of a remake for another handheld in say five years with better graphics and more modern gameplay though and they may do that but I have doubts this will happen. Its taking a long term risk on an IP that hasn't been very profitable in the last decade and none of the handheld Lunars have been great sellers. The heyday of the IP was back when it was on consoles and had a budget behind it.
Another thing you can do with an IP you think is worthless is shelve it forever but I really hope that doesn't happen. But Gung Ho may just try and get as much money out of the Lunar franchise as possible by doing the Lunar Touch game and PSN SSSC and EBC, which I heard may be in the works, and call it quits after that.
Lastly, something you can do with an IP you think is worthless is sell it and that's what I think Gung Ho may try to do. I've been wondering if any companies would be interested though and I have been wondering what Gung Ho could try to do to make the IP seem more appealing to be purchased outright.
We've been waiting for Lunar 3 since like 1995 and I am increasingly convinced it will never come out of the people who own the IP currently. Well that concludes my thoughts so what do you guys and gals think? Could Gung Ho sell Lunar's IP? Is Lunar a viable IP if it goes on sale? Who would buy it? Would Gung Ho take a real risk with a console game after a decade of lackluster performance? I have so many questions after thinking about things for a while now and time will give us answers but I wanted to see if you guys and gals had any thoughts or had heard of any rumors.