It's over, CAVE is dead... or maybe not...

[Faith]

I think... if you ask me 10 years ago for Cave to do this, I will say... stupid idea!!!

But now? You know... on Steam I follow some STG groups. I will say, just the past 1 year... seen more, and more, and more people... discovering our torture X_X"...

Every week... member count... up & up!

So, I feel... 2026... more than ever... is the time for Cave to finally do this >.<!!~

And, really... Cave... they perfected their own style. And no-one can copy it 100%... so if you want to truly... genuinely... experience Cave... then you need Cave!!

I mean, just Futari and Ketsui alone... I think these two, would be completely crazy if they did not make profit on Steam.

[rtw]

CAVE could also ask M2 to release their awesome Shot Trigger games on Steam as well.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

I'm simply really confused by the fact that Cave is still alive. How do they do it, were the sales of that dumb mobile game so good? Is it still selling?

[Steven]

You're not the only one pondering those exact same things... I think they post their financial reports on their website, but I'm too lazy to check. Someone else do it for me~

[emphatic]

CAVE could also ask M2 to release their awesome Shot Trigger games on Steam as well.

^^This.

[Johnpv]

I would love to see more Cave releases done by M2. Hell the original DonPachi and DoDonPachi are still only on PS1 and Saturn. (Thought maybe the PS1 version got a PS Classics release on newer PS systems?) I would happily drop 60 bucks on a modern M2 DonPachi/DoDonPachi collection for the PS5 or Switch 2, and a Steam release for the people who play there. Not that I don't still have my PS1 copy, but I would kill for a better modern port, with all the stuff M2 gives these games in their shot triggers releases.

[Ms. Tea]

Speaking as someone who has a PC and Switch but not a PS4/PS5, I'd love to see some of the prior shottriggers ports like Ketsui make it to something I can play, too.

I would love to see more Cave releases done by M2. Hell the original DonPachi and DoDonPachi are still only on PS1 and Saturn. (Thought maybe the PS1 version got a PS Classics release on newer PS systems?) I would happily drop 60 bucks on a modern M2 DonPachi/DoDonPachi collection for the PS5 or Switch 2, and a Steam release for the people who play there. Not that I don't still have my PS1 copy, but I would kill for a better modern port, with all the stuff M2 gives these games in their shot triggers releases.

I seem to remember they hinted something about DDP2 way back when the DOJ collection came out, but then obviously we heard nothing since. I could see a DP/DDP/DDP2 collection coming from them someday.

[Steven]

Finally get to go to the CAVE store tomorrow. I hope they have cool stuff, but I'm guessing they don't. Will try to get IKD to sign a game if he's both there and okay with it. I have no idea what I'd ask him to sign, though. Probably Saidaioujou super limited edition, but maybe I'll get him to sign my Daioujou PS4 LE that Namiki Manabu already signed so everyone can be unstoppably jealous. Or maybe PS4 Ketsui or MD V-V. I don't know yet.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Finally get to go to the CAVE store tomorrow. I hope they have cool stuff, but I'm guessing they don't. Will try to get IKD to sign a game if he's both there and okay with it. I have no idea what I'd ask him to sign, though. Probably Saidaioujou super limited edition, but maybe I'll get him to sign my Daioujou PS4 LE that Namiki Manabu already signed so everyone can be unstoppably jealous. Or maybe PS4 Ketsui or MD V-V. I don't know yet.

Yeah, your Xbox 360 DoDonpachi Sai-Dai-Ou-Jou Super LE set should be signed by IKD-san and a pic taken inside the pop-up store with him holding it prominently displayed will certainly, indeed, "take the cake" (thus making it a highly & sought after collectible down the road should you decide to sell it compared to a "plain-Jane" unsigned DDP-SDOJ Super LE set that are still rather easily obtainable even nowadays on the secondary console gaming collector's market -- it's a given alrighty in this "day of age").

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Steven]

Well, prepare to be disappointed because I don't carry a phone or whatever with me because I don't like being tracked, and IKD wasn't there anyway lol

The stuff they had was mostly super pitiful. They had a gachapon machine and of course I forgot to bring cash, Daioujou/Ketsu OST on one disc for some reason, Gothic wa Mahou Otome (arranged? I forgot) OST, Mushihimesama Matsuri arrange OST that I think is the same one that you can buy on Steam for a significantly lower price, some of those picture board thingies, five different A2 posters (Daioujou, Mushihimesama and its sequel, and I forgot the other two already), and some shirts. That's about it. Nice shirts, but only in white, and the dude said that for licensing reasons they couldn't put the Atlus games like DDP or Progear on there. It's really damn sad that they can't even put their most famous and most important game's logo on a shirt because of licensing.

They had some concept art out and like 90% of it was Daioujou. There was a tiny bit of Mushihimesama concept art, but not much. They have a Net City with DDP in it, and of course you can't play it. Where is the fun in that?

Overall, probably a big waste of time and train money.

[tzm_rade]

How much are the A2 posters?

[Steven]

I forgot... 2000 yen each, I think? Shirt is the only thing I remember, and that's 3800 yen.

[Faith]

Well, prepare to be disappointed because I don't carry a phone or whatever with me

Are you my twin @_@"... haha, my friends always so confused because I also never leave home with phone >.<"... but for me, just don't like weight. Most of time never leave house with handbag if can avoid it... just carry small purse with few cards and important things I need for emergency that fit inside. Also hate when boss or clients message when not at work. So... no phone... no message... no worries. Haha. At home, when it is my "off time" and not working... just put phone in drawer and forget about it >.<!~ Feel more feather light, more free... with all these things put away!~

[Steven]

It's largely because I don't want to be tracked by a company that I hate, but yes, I do hate carrying stuff. It's annoying, so I don't unless necessary.

Anyway, regarding the CAVE store, I 100% completely forgot to ask about how long it's going to be open.

I did finally bother to notice and forget their hours, though: Friday = 1400 to... uh... something. 1900? 2000? Somewhere around there, I think. Saturday + Sunday = totally forgot, but I think they open at noon and close around 1800. All other days are closed, so they're only open on weekends + Fridays, so if anyone is planning on going there in order to be disappointed by their pitiful selection, you have to do it on one of those three days.

[tzm_rade]

I kind of want the posters but 2000 yen for A2 size (I'm guessing fairly cheaply printed too) is questionable. One reason being I got some very cool arty B2 posters from the Intermediatheque museum for 1000 yen each. And BEEP gave me a Cotton Reboot High Tension B2 poster for free lol. 10,000 for the whole set of smaller CAVE posters hmmm... And yes, if I got one I would want them all.

[Steven]

Yeah, for A2, no way. For B2, that's different. I have the not-for-sale M2 Toaplan B2 promotional posters for Kyuukyoku Tiger-Heli, Get Star, Hishou Same! Same! Same!, and Wardner, and those are awesome. The ones at the CAVE store... eh. I don't remember them all, but I think they were all just existing artwork from 20 years ago anyway. It's not like the M2 Toaplan ones, which are actually completely new art and all of that.

I don't know. It's just... the stuff they have at the CAVE store is super disappointing. The place is barely larger than the room with my toilet, so they don't have much room to have a lot of stuff, but at least make it cool stuff if possible. The shirt is new, though. It's got the logos of most of the shooting games on the back, but due to the licensing problems they couldn't get all of them. Sorry, Touge King the Spirits, Princess Debut, and SMT Imagine fans, but those are not included either. Still completely wild that CAVE made a Shin Megami Tensei game, but they did.

[Emerl]

If anyone buys the Deathsmiles OST box set, DM me please.

[VxD]

That's not Deathsmiles, but Gothic ha Mahou Otome, aka Gomaotsu, their mobile gacha cash cow. The music in this game is nothing special.

[Creamy Goodness]

I'm simply really confused by the fact that Cave is still alive. How do they do it, were the sales of that dumb mobile game so good? Is it still selling?

Cave actually has their hands in a lot of stuff. They are now a media/marketing/investment firm. Besides being masters of shmup development, someone in the company had some serious business acumen and knew how and when to pivot as the arcade market died out.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

I'm simply really confused by the fact that Cave is still alive. How do they do it, were the sales of that dumb mobile game so good? Is it still selling?

Cave actually has their hands in a lot of stuff. They are now a media/marketing/investment firm. Besides being masters of shmup development, someone in the company had some serious business acumen and knew how and when to pivot as the arcade market died out.

Interesting - are there any sources on this that aren't in Japanese? I'd love to find out more.

[Creamy Goodness]

I'm simply really confused by the fact that Cave is still alive. How do they do it, were the sales of that dumb mobile game so good? Is it still selling?

Cave actually has their hands in a lot of stuff. They are now a media/marketing/investment firm. Besides being masters of shmup development, someone in the company had some serious business acumen and knew how and when to pivot as the arcade market died out.

Interesting - are there any sources on this that aren't in Japanese? I'd love to find out more.

Their Wikipedia page covers most of it. But it doesn't appear comprehensive. Makes no mention of their psychic/tarot card reading site

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Cave actually has their hands in a lot of stuff. They are now a media/marketing/investment firm. Besides being masters of shmup development, someone in the company had some serious business acumen and knew how and when to pivot as the arcade market died out.

Interesting - are there any sources on this that aren't in Japanese? I'd love to find out more.

Their Wikipedia page covers most of it. But it doesn't appear comprehensive. Makes no mention of their psychic/tarot card reading site

also what ze hell, they're involved in the sale of beading kits:

[it290]

https://www.reddit.com/r/shmups/comment ... _underway/

[AGermanArtist]

Ooh

[SuperPang]

Can't wait for the fallout when it turns out they're only looking for him to sign the Limited Edition Exa Label boxes.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

I don't see how it could not be an Exa release. Fuck that.

[ShootTheCore]

Exa did tease it at one of their recent presentations.

[tzm_rade]

That would be an easy win for exA although it's bound to annoy people. From my experience of looking around for exA cabinets, Saidaioujou seems like the most popular of their games in arcades in Japan so DDP obviously has some pull, especially an extremely rare, practically unplayed version of the game. I've been checking for places to play exA games and a bunch of the game centers that exA list on their website have closed down in the past year or so they need a big hit for sure.

[BrianC]

Exa did tease it at one of their recent presentations.

A Columbo and Dodonpachi crossover!

[zlk]

BrianC wins the internet for today for noticing the "One More Thing" hints at a Columbo and Dodonpachi crossover. LOL!