First Region-Locked PS3 game

[Teufel_in_Blau]

And the award goes to....

ATLUS!

[Op Intensify]

Doesn't affect me, unless this somehow kicks off a new wave of region-locked PS3 and Vita games, but that's incredibly idiotic.

Had to be a special deal they entered into with Sony to ensure the game would sell European copies. PQube probably asked for it after poor European sales of the Blazblue games. But I thought they just didn't allow PS3 games to be locked.

Though, if you think region locking takes control away from the consumer, wait until you see Diablo 3-style infrastructures and cloud streaming services become the norm.

[xbl0x180]

I stopped giving a damn about atlus since their sh**** Catherine dub-only release. They can go f*** themselves

[Op Intensify]

This isn't GameFAQs, you can say fuck.

Catherine was dub-only because the Japanese version used some very high-profile actors and it would have been incredibly expensive to license their work. It might also have pushed the file size beyond the limits of a 360 DVD. They had a legit excuse for that one.

[ZellSF]

I'm more upset with Sony, as I'm sure they've stated the PS3 is region free.

[Op Intensify]

They also have a policy against retail PS3 games being released in the US without an English voice track. Didn't stop Sega from releasing Yakuza 3 and 4 here undubbed.

It's just like with Microsoft and region-free 360 games. You only have to give them a good reason why you think your game should be exempt from policy, and they'll let it go.

[njiska]

I'm more upset with Sony, as I'm sure they've stated the PS3 is region free.

Sony never really stated that the PS3 was region free. I'm trying to find the actual statement, but essentially they said that they would not region lock their own games and would leave the decision for 3rd parties up to them.

I think we're all missing out on the bigger picture though. The real question is, why now? Why after releasing so many games region-free, would Atlus decide to region lock this one specific title?

[ZellSF]

I'm more upset with Sony, as I'm sure they've stated the PS3 is region free.

Sony never really stated that the PS3 was region free. I'm trying to find the actual statement, but essentially they said that they would not region lock their own games and would leave the decision for 3rd parties up to them.

They did say the PS3 was region free, at GDC 06 was the first occasion I found, but I'm sure there are others. No mention of leaving it up to third parties or the like.

I'm sure they "forgot" they advertised the PS3 with that when there was talk about region locking Strangehold, that situation might be where you heard otherwise.

[njiska]

I'm more upset with Sony, as I'm sure they've stated the PS3 is region free.

Sony never really stated that the PS3 was region free. I'm trying to find the actual statement, but essentially they said that they would not region lock their own games and would leave the decision for 3rd parties up to them.

They did say the PS3 was region free, at GDC 06 was the first occasion I found, but I'm sure there are others. No mention of leaving it up to third parties or the like.

I'm sure they "forgot" they advertised the PS3 with that when there was talk about region locking Strangehold, that situation might be where you heard otherwise.

Yes, I just found the GDC 06 comment, but I know for a fact that it's been well known for some time that the PS3 is capable of region locking. The check appears to have been added in the 3.50 SDK, but I'm certain there was a comment on region locking being possible long before then and not related to Strangehold.

[Despatche]

Catherine was dub-only because the Japanese version used some very high-profile actors and it would have been incredibly expensive to license their work. It might also have pushed the file size beyond the limits of a 360 DVD. They had a legit excuse for that one.

The Catherine dub is pretty great, so it's hard to complain anyway.

Good localizations/translations/dubs with easy access to the original and various versions as well, this is the key.

[Op Intensify]

Back to Persona 4, I imagine the conversation went like this:

PQube: "No one buys our Euro releases because they always import the American PS3 versions that come out earlier. We got burned on three Blazblue games this way and we don't want to get burned again. Could you see about getting a special exemption to Sony's no region-locking policy for P4A, so Europeans will be forced to wait and buy from us this time?"

Atlus: "Sure, we'll see what we can do."

It's actually pretty understandable why they did it. It doesn't make it any more right though.

[BulletMagnet]

Offiical statement here.

Understandable, I suppose, but still kinda disappointing.

[Ed Oscuro]

Doing something for the first time is not a precedent according to ATLUS.

...they got shit for brains or do they think we do?

[ZellSF]

Doing something for the first time is not a precedent according to ATLUS.

...they got shit for brains or do they think we do?

They think we do.

I like answering rhetorical questions.

[xbl0x180]

Offiical statement here.

Understandable, I suppose, but still kinda disappointing.

Understandable... and they can shove their statement up their arse

[Tokyo-J]

This is what I get for being a Early Adopter and buying the Japanese 60gb PS3

Now I have to pay a giant markup for the Japanese version!

[Ruldra]

Offiical statement here.

Good to hear it's just an isolated case and not the start of a region-locking frenzy.

[Ex-Cyber]

Even if it's not a slippery slope for Atlus, nothing in that statement explains how they didn't just open that door for every other publisher that wants to play games with territorial pricing/availability.

[CStarFlare]

Their statement seems to imply that the door was always open; Atlus doesn't describe needing any sort of permission from Sony, which probably would have helped their claim that it's not a slippery slope. Which makes the fact that Atlus is the first even more surprising - surely P4A isn't the only PS3 game that Japanese gamers could import to save a little coin.

[ryu]

index holdings most likely has a hand on this anways. and they probably don't know what they're doing and are doing this just because they can

[Op Intensify]

As I said, it was more likely done at PQube's request. They're the ones with the most to gain from this (forcing Europeans to buy their release).

[ZellSF]

Read the official statement, it says specifically they're worried about reverse importers. So this really is all Atlus' (both JP & US divisions) fault.

I like how they partially did this because Americans can't wait for more than two weeks for the games.
It sets a precedent that makes sure there will be more games Europeans will wait half a year to a year for.

[Op Intensify]

Why would they be? If the US version doesn't have Japanese on it, JPN players won't have a story mode or tutorials they can read. And the story mode is apparently gonna be a pretty big deal in this game. Atlus was boasting that it was almost as long as the Persona 4 RPG.

I heard there was some moderator on the Atlus USA forums a while ago who launched into a tirade about how niche Japanese games were dragging them down and destroying the company, and they needed to focus completely on stuff like The Cursed Crusade and Game of Thrones (lol) to move forward and stay relevant. It's probably been taken down.

Cursed Crusade was a buggy mess that launched at budget price and flopped horribly, by the way. Poetic justice.

[ZellSF]

Why would they be? If the US version doesn't have Japanese on it, JPN players won't have a story mode or tutorials they can read. And the story mode is apparently gonna be a pretty big deal in this game. Atlus was boasting that it was almost as long as the Persona 4 RPG.

They left in Japanese voice acting and text.

[Op Intensify]

Well, that wasn't too smart of them.

Despite what they say, this obviously is gonna be a huge slippery slope. I wouldn't be surprised if a few companies like Nippon Ichi/NIS America take this as their cue to region lock PS3/Vita games in the future. If they're called out on it, they can just say they're not the first people to do it.

[xbl0x180]

Leaving the original Japanese acting is probably the only smart thing in this whole mess. Again, English dubbing is too horrible to contemplate not having a professional voice cast

[neorichieb1971]

Parallel release anyone?

Is it really rocket science?

[cj iwakura]

Yeah,I believe Index are largely to blame, and I feel for Atlus USA becoming everyone's scapegoat.

I'm still buying it regardless, and pray it stops here.

[ZellSF]

Unless Atlus USA is an independent publisher that's unrelated to Atlus then they're no scapegoats: they're representatives of the people who made this decision.

I feel more for the EU publisher, wonder if they even were told this would happen when they licensed the game for EU release?

[BulletMagnet]

Doing something for the first time is not a precedent according to ATLUS.

...they got shit for brains or do they think we do?

A better way to have phrased it would probably be "We don't intend to set a precedent" or something like that, though as you say they kind of have by default.

I heard there was some moderator on the Atlus USA forums a while ago who launched into a tirade about how niche Japanese games were dragging them down and destroying the company, and they needed to focus completely on stuff like The Cursed Crusade and Game of Thrones (lol) to move forward and stay relevant.

I really hope that's just an internet rumor.