*This article is an excerpt from an interview posted to AUTOMATON\u2019s Japanese edition<\/strong> From Arc System Works:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Interviewer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Futaba Raayu:<\/em> A game blogger with a career spanning over 15 years. Known for their pursuit of the Simple series and downloadable games.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015Arc System Works has 87 downloadable titles available on the 3DS alone. Why did you put so much effort into releasing downloadable games on the platform?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> On top of that, I think the 3DS hardware did a lot to popularize downloadable software in Japan. When the 3DS launched, games were still mostly bought physically, but with the 3DS, it was the first time on Nintendo hardware that regular releases could be bought digitally. I think Nintendo also put a lot of effort into making it hardware good for selling downloadable games which meshed well with our plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it wasn\u2019t just the 3DS. I think it was also a result of in-app purchases and subscription services increasing which got people used to the idea of spending money on these kinds of digital services. Because the culture of buying downloadable games on the 3DS had spread among users, the market was lively and putting out games resulted in sales. For that reason, we continued putting effort into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yamada:<\/strong> We\u2019re glad we were able to ride the wave from the outset with downloadable games thanks to the company\u2019s continuous effort from the Wii era. The 3DS also had a web browser and Miiverse, a built-in social media platform that used Miis, so it was similar to a smartphone of sorts for younger players. For many kids at the time, it was their first online device and first experience with social media. I wonder if we were able to leave any memories with the kids of that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015As far as sales go, was the response on the 3DS better than systems like the DS and Wii?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> \u2015\u2015Does the team that makes download-only games at Arc System Works stand in the shadow of the fighting games team in a way? Or rather, it seems like you\u2019re in a position to try new challenges, but what is your relationship with the fighting games team?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> Yamada:<\/strong> \u2015\u2015It takes a long time to put out big projects, so the company was probably glad to have a division putting out lots of smaller titles in between to secure profits.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> Staff members also flowed through, with core members of the current staff working on fighting games having previously worked on downloadable titles. There are times when someone will want to work on something else and come back to the download team from the fighting games team as well. When working on smaller games, staff members can fill higher positions, so there are instances of staff members gaining that experience and then returning to fighting games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of that, a lot of people in the company have been involved with our downloadable games. I\u2019m probably the most involved with them, which is why I\u2019m here as a representative, but the games come from the imaginations of many different people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015How are these download-only releases planned? I\u2019m interested in finding out how development on them begins.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> \u2015\u2015You took on a lot of challenges during the 3DS era, but what kind of changes occurred when the Nintendo Switch came along?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> There\u2019s also been a big emergence of indie games this generation. In the 3DS days, companies outside of Japan couldn\u2019t easily enter the Japanese market. They had to have a location in Japan and a way to handle Japanese, but those rules have gone away with the Nintendo Switch which has lowered the barrier of entry. Companies outside of Japan can now directly publish their games making it more difficult for us to release them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, numerous companies are putting a lot of effort into releasing games from overseas, so a lot of good games are getting released even if we aren\u2019t involved. We were proactive in localizing overseas games in the 3DS era, but we\u2019re more selective about picking games made overseas now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the company, even if we aren\u2019t particular about downloadable games, there are plenty of fighting games which have become a pillar of support for us. If we want to try something outside of that it will require more and more staff. For that reason, the downloadable games have been scaled back for work on other titles. That\u2019s a little bit of inside information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the topic of market changes, sales and selling games at low prices has become a standard. AAA games from 3 or 4 years ago can be bought for half or a quarter of the original price which may have made things more difficult for low budget games. Even if you try to make something low cost, it\u2019s easy for it to get buried, so the company has moved toward putting together more substantial budgets to make more full-featured titles. \u2015\u2015Of the 3DS download-only games, what games did well from a sales perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> Games that left a lasting impression on players, such as Of Mice and Sand<\/em>, generally sold well, I think. One that surprised us with how high it ranked is ARC STYLE: Baseball 3D<\/em>. You might think games with more personality would perform better, but then there\u2019s this conventional sports game. The Family<\/em> series of games also performed well by selling over a long period of time. The long-running series started on the Wii in 2008 with Family Table Tennis<\/em>, and the most recent title Family Tennis SP<\/em> released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The games star a family of 8 who compete in a variety of sports and card games. The selling point is their simple controls which are easy to pick up and play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015Was Of Mice and Sand<\/em> influenced by FTL: Faster Than Light<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> Yamada:<\/strong> \u2015\u2015Riki Densetsu<\/em> (a Japan exclusive that translates to Legend of Riki) was a spin-off starring a character that wasn\u2019t Kunio which was rare at the time. What led to its development?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n River City <\/em>series producer Takaomi Kaneko:<\/strong> Kishimoto was asked to work on the story, and we arranged it with APLUS while going through development. The music was done by Kazuo Sawa who worked on the River City<\/em> games for the Famicom back in the day. There was a trend in making live-action adaptations of delinquent manga at the time, so he referenced those and came up with tougher sounding music different from what had been heard in the series up to that point. There wasn\u2019t much budget at the time, so I was in charge of illustrations and UI which APLUS implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015After that, River City: Knights of Justice<\/em> was released as a download-only title. Was that because Riki Densetsu<\/em> had a positive reception?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaneko:<\/strong> The license holder opposed and was angry at first, but we were persistent and somehow got consent to move forward with development. Additionally, while we couldn\u2019t expect much from markets outside Japan, we thought it might be easier to sell since it was fantasy rather than being set in a Japanese high school and took on the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2015\u2015Swords & Darkness<\/em> is a fantasy action game that seems like River City<\/em>, but was there any sense of that? Did it have any influence on the later River City: Knights of Justice<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaneko:<\/strong> The content was like a mix of games we liked but with system changes and control methods we couldn\u2019t do with River City<\/em>. While it was a small title, it was an original IP and the first title we simultaneously released internationally, so it\u2019s very memorable. It didn\u2019t influence River City: Knights of Justice<\/em> but happened to be a separate project with a similar motif, development period, and release. \u2015\u2015Arc System Works continuously took on unique challenges with downloadable games on the 3DS. Will those challenges continue going forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shimada:<\/strong> Related Article:<\/strong>
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Why did they release so many download-only titles on the 3DS?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since the Wii era, Arc System Works has taken the initiative to put out downloadable games, so it wasn\u2019t so much any special effort but a continuation of what we had been doing. However, we may have been able to put out so many games because of the merits of the 3DS. Development was cheaper compared to now, so it was easier to take on challenges. The risk reward balance was excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 3DS came out just as feature phones were being replaced by smartphones. What also happened was that more people were setting up Wi-Fi routers in their homes. The Wii and DS of course had online features but having a home Wi-Fi environment hadn\u2019t really spread in Japan at that point. When the 3DS came around, homes were getting Wi-Fi and users could easily connect their systems to the internet. Users would check the eShop to find and buy software, and it was like a blue ocean for us to put games on to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t sudden when the 3DS first launched, but it steadily grew and was quite different from the Wii and DSiWare by the time it was in the middle of its life cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the Wii and DSi days, there may have been an impression from the fighting games team that we were making stuff they didn\u2019t really get. On the other hand, the president was also making an effort to push forward with download-only games at the time, so it felt like we were being watched over. But once the games started selling pretty well on the 3DS, we were upgraded to a division and increased in size. I feel that we started to get recognition once we were helping support the company to some degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were putting out tons of download-only games, so there were people in the company like \u201cwhat are we putting out this week?\u201d and \u201cwe released that?\u201d It was a situation where some employees wouldn\u2019t even know about a game we had put out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a give and take with the teams working on bigger projects. During times when big titles couldn\u2019t be released, the downloadable games were able to help supplement sales. However, I think we were helped more by the big titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They come about in a variety of ways. Sometimes we come up with a game and develop it ourselves and sometimes another company will bring in an interesting idea to turn into a game. There are also a lot of localized titles from overseas. Sometimes a company will ask if they can release the game in Japan, and sometimes we reach out saying we want to put out a game. There are also instances where the president will bring in an unknown game from somewhere and tell us to take care of it (laughs).
<\/p>\n\n\n\nA new generation with the Nintendo Switch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For us, we changed things in accordance with company policy rather than based on the situation of the video game market. We were releasing really small-scale games on the 3DS, but costs have steadily increased with the Switch and PS4. For that reason, it\u2019s become difficult to just freely make what we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe best-selling games and games that performed unexpectedly well<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The best-selling title was Cube Creator 3D<\/em> which sold 400,000 copies. It was a good fit for the times for a lot of reasons and performed well.
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An action game with crafting elements that released in 2015. It was early to the market as far as sandbox games on the 3DS go.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/20221105-225483-004.jpg\")
It was listed as a game to reference during the project proposal phase (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original idea started from thinking it would be interesting to have a game about the Jawas from Star Wars<\/em> traveling around in their Sandcrawler. We were then like \u201cOh, that\u2019s similar to FTL: Faster Than Light<\/em>,\u201d and wondered if it would be good to have character control be kind of like Dwarf Fortress<\/em>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe River City <\/em>series and Riki Densetsu<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
At the time, River City: Tokyo Rumble<\/em> and Riki Densetsu<\/em> were being planned simultaneously. From the first 3DS release, Nekketsu Koha Kunio-Kun Special<\/em>, Kishimoto who directed the arcade releases in the series was involved. The first game was well received, so we started to consider development on two more games.
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Riki Densetsu<\/em> was a plan brought in from the just established APLUS, so we entrusted them with making that and River City: Tokyo Rumble<\/em> which I was planning at the time. It tells the reverse side of the story from the first game Nekketsu Koha Kunio-Kun Special<\/em> up to where Kunio and Riki fight at Shinjuku Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
River City: Knights of Justice<\/em> was a plan brought by Hiroyuki Sekimoto who made games like River City Ransom<\/em> on the NES and Avit-Niigata, which was originally Tecnos Japan\u2019s Niigata city office and home to staff that worked on games in the series like Nekketsu Fighting Legend<\/em> that never left Japan. We didn\u2019t have the license at the time, so we took the project proposal to the license holder, received permission, and made the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swords & Darkness<\/em> and River City: Knights of Justice<\/em> began development around the same time. Since before River City: Knights of Justice<\/em>, we wanted to try planning an original game after just making River City<\/em> games and were consistently considering ideas. The development staff consisted of members who worked on Riki Densetsu<\/em> and River City: Tokyo Rumble<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The budget was extremely low, and development lasted around 4 months after we received permission. Counting myself, there were around three team members. In order to reduce worries about delays, we used the engine we had been using for River City<\/em> up to that point and explored a setting and story that would allow for graphics to be reused as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nContinuing to develop original titles outside of fighting games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Of course, we\u2019re going to keep making original titles! There may be a strong impression that we only make fighting games, but we\u2019re making plenty of downloadable games as well like Ground Divers! <\/em>which recently released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ground Divers! developer interview \u2013 Arc System Works\u2019 new roguelike strategy game<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n