Over ten years after .hack//Link launched for the PSP, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama opens up about why the game never got a console port or made it to western audiences. While region-specific releases were fairly normal back in 2010, this question has come up a lot more as recent CyberConnect2 titles like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot have seen worldwide releases.
In the case of .hack//Link, and much of the .hack// series in general, the issue apparently came down to Bandai Namco doubting that western audiences would care to play the game, according to Matsuyama. This also ties into the reasoning for the game being developed on the PSP in the first place, without ever introducing ports to the PS2 or PS3.
The determining factor behind .hack//Link‘s development being relegated to a mobile device is that the PSP had sold well in Japan, according to Matsuyama, making it a strong platform to sell the game on. Conversely, the PSP didn’t trend as well in western regions, with sales in Japan alone outpacing much of America and Europe combined – a similar fate as the PS Vita. While developing .hack//Link for PSP made sense locally, the American and European divisions of Bandai Namco apparently decided they didn’t want the game if it would remain on the handheld system.
Matsuyama cites the success of Monster Hunter on PSP as one of the inspirations for .hack//Link releasing on the mobile platform with multiplayer mechanics included. Considering that is another franchise which had little success in the west until the smash success of Monster Hunter: World, it’s possible that Bandai Namco was correct to not bother with a western release of .hack//Link on PSP. However, the parallels between the games may have fans wondering if CyberConnect2 could be interested in the idea of a next-gen entry in the series.
The popularity of mobile titles in Japan is the reason many titles were being kept on these platforms in the past, as Japanese developers were naturally more concentrated on their local audiences. It’s a much more recent trend than players may assume for even massive developers and publishers like Bandai Namco to start reaching out to worldwide audiences. So, with any luck, CyberConnect2 will be able to grab a big budget deal with Bandai Namco in the future to bring a multiplayer .hack// title to a larger audience, and potentially repeat other developers’ successes in branching out worldwide.
.hack//Link is available now for PSP.
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