Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social

[The Wooster]

Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social

Cave, a developer known mostly for its brutally-difficult shoot-em-ups, is refocusing on the social game market and putting some of its current projects on hold.

Believe it or not, bastardly-hard 2D shooters [http://youtu.be/ZHqN_fH2S7k?t=5m44s] are somewhat of a niche genre these days. Despite Cave's legendary status amongst shmup fans, things haven't been going too well for the Deathsmiles developer.

The company expected to make ¥10 million operating profit between June 1st and November 31st of last year, but sales of ¥1.3 billion rather than the expected ¥1.4billion mean the company is now expecting to face a ¥31 million operating loss.

It doesn't help that Cave's games are generally restricted to Arcades, PCs and, of all consoles, the Xbox 360.

Cave's solution to its money problem? Jump ship. The company just announced that it will be putting some of its more niche projects, read: shooters, on hold in order to fund social games. This won't be Cave's first foray into non-shooter territory; they developed Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, an MMO based in the Megami Tensei universe, for Atlus back in 2007.

While many gamers will lament another core developer - and they really don't come more 'core' than Cave - switching over to the social game market, I've always seen it as an opportunity for good developers to develop good games for a wider audience. Also, the idea of someone firing up the Japanese equivalent of Facebook only to be faced with a game that resembles this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQZuidKexBQ&feature=related], warms my heart. It really does.

Source: GameIndustrybiz [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-01-12-shoot-em-up-specialist-cave-refocusing-on-social]




Permalink

 

[LilithSlave]

of all consoles, the Xbox 360.

A large part of why I love my XBOX360.

And yeah, it's a niche because they tend not to be realistic and manly, but completely weeaboo like I like. Look at how colourful and not brown that is, that's totally "weeaboo" and casual, and not brown and hardcore at all, I haven't even seen one bulging muscle yet! Everyone knows that what makes a game hardcore has to do with shallow imagery and not difficultly. Hardcore gamers are about playing military first person shooters in the highest resolution possible! And kicking women out of LAN parties, rarrrr!

God I'm asking to be flamed with that joke so badly. So very badly. I'm dead, I am. Please, just don't take that joke seriously. It's not a troll, it's a joke. A bad joke.

But this is really sad, as an avid fan of the scrolling shooter. Or maybe we're going to start calling them "jShooters" since first person shooters have taken over the West more than the East. But either way, I love scrolling shooters. This is a real shame. A real, real shame. At the very least, hopefully those social games will be fun and good ones. Cave has at least proven to be an accomplished game maker. And hopefully as well they'll start making more shooters again someday.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Once I have time, I'll pull Mushihimesama Futari from XBLA. I already have Deathsmiles. Put some more shooters over here, Cave. I promise I'll buy them. It's a shame Deathsmiles 2 is only available untranslated on XBLA. Why, Microsoft?

 

[Fasckira]

Its a shame but its a sensible move on the company's behalf, I wish 'em all the best

 

[-Torchedini-]

Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social
of all consoles, the Xbox 360.



Permalink

Really ? You had to take a cheap shot ? WHY ?
Look if it was the Wii then that would be the problem. (and shitty inaccurate controls but lets not get into that)

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social
of all consoles, the Xbox 360.



Permalink

Really ? You had to take a cheap shot ? WHY ?
Look if it was the Wii then that would be the problem. (and shitty inaccurate controls but lets not get into that)

A cheap shot? It was a reference to the 360 being very unpopular in Japan.

 

[Tanakh]

Sigh... if only Cave would take my money

As a PC SMUP fan it makes me sad how hard it is to get ahold legally of one of their products, i have found them on sale on super obscure sites at 30 USD a piece.

If they would release their current lineup on steam i am quite sure their money problems would vanish, even without any localization.

 

[Desworks]

I'm saddened by this news. Still, I can only hope that Cave will still release one every now and then, using some of the profits it makes from it social games perhaps.

For now though, I shall just have to raise a glass to Cave tonight, as thanks for the many thousand of times their bewilderingly brilliant bullet ballets (alliteration is awesome!) have caused me to die over and over again. Stay classy Cave.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Or maybe we're going to start calling them "jShooters" since first person shooters have taken over the West more than the East.

Why would we do something silly like that? "Shooter" is a very broad, generic term that covers everything from first- and third-person shooters to all types of scrolling shooters and bullet hell games, all of which are sub-classes of it. Besides, we've already had a perfectly good and somewhat less broad term for a long time for the group of related genres which games like this belong to: shoot 'em up, or shmup, as they say these days.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

As long as they keep what they are at their core and still develop games like this I don't mind. In fact I might actually use Facebook if they put the Bullet Hell games on there.

 

[Iori Branford]

As long as they keep what they are at their core and still develop games like this I don't mind. In fact I might actually use Facebook if they put the Bullet Hell games on there.

I doubt the Facebook platform meets their performance requirements for good, smooth shooting gameplay, but did bring up the idea on their wall once. All that came of it was one guy laughing it down because the examples I provided (noiz2 [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asahi-net.or.jp%2F~cs8k-cyu%2Fjava%2Fnoiz2_applet_e.html&ei=0nAQT4HAJtCq0AGh08nHAw&usg=AFQjCNEKZyOqMjyeSmz3_lw599uOj1aKCg], Arcanacra [http://www.yomogi.sakura.ne.jp/~si/SolidImage/cml/arcanacra_bl/v04_e.html]) weren't pretty enough. Maybe n0mlb1rd [http://wonderfl.net/c/y5Cx] would've sold it better.

 

[The Wooster]

Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social
of all consoles, the Xbox 360.



Permalink

Really ? You had to take a cheap shot ? WHY ?
Look if it was the Wii then that would be the problem. (and shitty inaccurate controls but lets not get into that)

I think you've misunderstood. I've got no problem with the Xbox 360, they just don't sell well in Japan. The shmup market is almost entirely Japanese.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

As long as they keep what they are at their core and still develop games like this I don't mind. In fact I might actually use Facebook if they put the Bullet Hell games on there.

I doubt the Facebook platform meets their performance requirements for good, smooth shooting gameplay, but did bring up the idea on their wall once. All that came of it was one guy laughing it down because the examples I provided (noiz2 [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CDMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asahi-net.or.jp%2F~cs8k-cyu%2Fjava%2Fnoiz2_applet_e.html&ei=0nAQT4HAJtCq0AGh08nHAw&usg=AFQjCNEKZyOqMjyeSmz3_lw599uOj1aKCg], Arcanacra [http://www.yomogi.sakura.ne.jp/~si/SolidImage/cml/arcanacra_bl/v04_e.html]) weren't pretty enough. Maybe n0mlb1rd [http://wonderfl.net/c/y5Cx] would've sold it better.

Well maybe it doesn't but I still think it would be a good idea.

 

[LilithSlave]

Sigh... if only Cave would take my money

As a PC SMUP fan it makes me sad how hard it is to get ahold legally of one of their products

Heck, people are always talking about how their XBOX 360 products are all region free, but not all of them. You need a Japanese XBOX 360 to play this one. [http://www.play-asia.com/Instant_Brain/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-4evp.html]

I assume it's okay for me to link to Play-Asia here in order to prove a point, it's not advertising. It's just the best way to prove a point about how difficult and expensive it can be to play some Cave titles. Also, one of the only copies of it being sold are out of Hong Kong with Play-Asia, and that can prove difficult if you know I mean(have fun calling your card company).

Though Instant Brain isn't so much a shoot em' up as another of many kinda sleazy Visual Novels. But it does show that it can be indeed difficult, and to play one of their games, you may need an expensive Japanese XBOX 360 and an expensive copy of an import game. And import gaming seems barely legal itself, in many cases I suppose it may technically be considered copyright infringement, but I hope not. I post this under the assumption import gaming is seen as legal and ethical here. If it's not I'm in trouble...

Though I assume that's part of what you mean by "hard to get a hold of legally."

 

[-Torchedini-]

Bullet-Hell Developer Goes Social
of all consoles, the Xbox 360.



Permalink

Really ? You had to take a cheap shot ? WHY ?
Look if it was the Wii then that would be the problem. (and shitty inaccurate controls but lets not get into that)

I think you've misunderstood. I've got no problem with the Xbox 360, they just don't sell well in Japan. The shmup market is almost entirely Japanese.

Yeah my bad then.
I really like them too so I don't mind them being on xbox.

 

[Iori Branford]

Heck, people are always talking about how their XBOX 360 products are all region free, but not all of them. You need a Japanese XBOX 360 to play this one. [http://www.play-asia.com/Instant_Brain/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-4evp.html]

I assume it's okay for me to link to Play-Asia here in order to prove a point, it's not advertising. It's just the best way to prove a point about how difficult and expensive it can be to play some Cave titles. Also, one of the only copies of it being sold are out of Hong Kong with Play-Asia, and that can prove difficult if you know I mean(have fun calling your card company).

Though Instant Brain isn't so much a shoot em' up as another of many kinda sleazy Visual Novels. But it does show that it can be indeed difficult, and to play one of their games, you may need an expensive Japanese XBOX 360 and an expensive copy of an import game. And import gaming seems barely legal itself, in many cases I suppose it may technically be considered copyright infringement, but I hope not. I post this under the assumption import gaming is seen as legal and ethical here. If it's not I'm in trouble...

The Intellectual Property Fear Machine is working on you there. If anyone's ever busted for import gaming I'll drop more than a few bucks into their legal fund.

Still, I too am not one to fling around "get an off-region console" and "get the arcade board" -- those are not investments you just tell someone to make. I'm already hesitant to recommend CAVE games to normals due to their price and their unintuitive (for modern gaming) nature.

 

[TrevHead]

Once I have time, I'll pull Mushihimesama Futari from XBLA. I already have Deathsmiles. Put some more shooters over here, Cave. I promise I'll buy them. It's a shame Deathsmiles 2 is only available untranslated on XBLA. Why, Microsoft?

Unfortunatly Mushimisama Futari is Japanese region free only however its a budget title and quite cheap.

Region Free import
Mushimisama Futari £25 approx
Espgaluda 2 £30
Mushi Mushi Pork & Pink Sweets, out of print expect to get gouged on ebay

XBLA
Nin2Jump 400msp
Guwange 800msp
Deathsmiles 2 GOD only (USA)

Boxed
Deathsmiles 1 (US & PAL) dirt cheap
Dodonpachi Resurrection PAL (works on US consoles) £10-£15

If you only pick up one game make sure its Mushihisama Futari, its a fantastic game and Original mode doesnt have that many bullets.

But yeah it is a shame about CAVE, but its worth pointing out that CAVE isnt like other devs. They have many depts all working on different products (inc jewelry). Shmups is just one of department.

I honestly dont think they are totally quitting shmups, theyll still put out the odd shooter