I'm glad that the Aksys staff created a second part of the survey. So I made sure to say my part, such as...
* I am sometimes willing to pay for limited edition extras. But I also like inexpensive games. So whether a title is released on retail shelves or just digital copies, having a choice is a good thing.
* I feel that since romance games and visual novels are a tiny niche in game/anime-manga fandom, it might be challenging to sell a game at brick and mortar retailers and succeed. So I chose the following platforms: Windows, PSN (as in paid PSP download), iOS, and XBLA. I know other individuals and companies have found success selling their niche products through Steam, iTunes, and XBox Live Arcade. Also, I know of two otome visual novels currently available in English on iTunes US: "Ren'ai Shugi Road to Emerald" and "Pinky Distortion."
* Finally, I know that dubbing is an expensive process. To reduce expenses and risks, perhaps the Aksys staff might want to forego it. After all, NIS America released the relatively niche titles Atelier Annie (DS) and Muramasa (Wii) with only the original Japanese dialogue.
Hawk_hotlips said:
I personally think that going into visual novels in general, not just Otome games, would be pretty nice...
That makes sense to me. I'm interested in VNs regardless of setting or premise. And I'm glad that some fans and companies are creating a few in English which can't be classified as harem or reverse harem games. On the other hand, few visual novels include complex gameplay. Even the most Serious Business story can be a tough sell to fans who expect action or strategy in their games. So I believe they'd fit well on platforms where non-traditional video games can succeed.