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No Export for You - Tales Edition
Topic Started: Sep 1 2010, 02:29 PM (146 Views)
Sanji Himura
Administrator
[ * ]
Here is a somewhat apolitical look at exactly why tales fans that are outside Japan are looked down upon by Namco. Please use this thread to
discuss the somewhat allergic reaction that Namco Bandai Games has to making money.

Introduction

"Man, the Japanese get all the cool stuff!"
— Joey Wheeler, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series

Simply put, some franchises seem to churn out tons upon tons of merchandise, goodies, and special content.

The majority of this stuff sees limited international release, if any at all — logic or profits be damned.

Sometimes, the reason is legitimate. In the older days of gaming, when the Blind Idiot Translation ruled, games with lots of text might be too hard to translate (though this is a very weak excuse in today's world). Some things are just too flippin' weird to be understood outside their home nation by most people, as some cultural differences can get a series in hot water if what's tolerated or even welcomed in one country is taboo in another. Sometimes, what's being made is for something that's used differently elsewhere (read: most Japanese cellphone games). Then there are simply the times where the company thinks it wouldn't sell well. Another legitimate reason is, well, legal reasons, especially concerning the licensing of characters appearing in a Massive Multiplayer Crossover. And finally, with video game remakes and re-releases, some companies, most notably Sony, require a certain amount of new content before they'll agree to import it.

For anime, there's another justification, coming from the way anime is made. Japan's animation industry is structured very differently from most other countries' — shows aren't made by large companies with centralized legal departments, which are able to sort out licensing issues, but by throngs of small, semi-independent studios, uniting in tenuous and short-lived alliances often meant to produce just one specific series. As the thing goes, when some animators come to an idea of the show, they try to pitch it to some media giant, which, in case of success, just dishes out the money and takes distribution rights. The original production studio then contracts numerous other studios to do animation, music, postproduction, etc., while the distributor handles advertising, merchandise rights and such. So, when the show is finally released, there are sometimes dozens of companies, each holding a copyright to some aspect of it, and sorting these right for licensing or rerelease may get literally impossible — sometimes even in Japan itself. And until recently, few people even considered the idea that there could be a market for most anime outside of Japan.

Well, you might ask, if there is a licensing problem for distribution, how could the show have even been made for broadcast? Wouldn't there have been licensing issues then too? Well, yes and no, and I'm glad you asked that question because it requires explaining about copyright and the general licensing systems cobbled together over the decades that we've had mechanical reproduction on video and sound.

There are two types of licensing involved in a television or radio program, performance licensing and reproduction licensing. Performance licensing, which is needed for broadcast, is easy; networks pay a blanket fee of about 3% of their income to the major performance licensing agencies, ASCAP and BMI, and to a lesser extent SESAC. This solves the problem and they can use any music they want. In the US, use of phonograph records in broadcast doesn't require licensing (which is why radio stations originally started playing recorded music) so that's it; in Europe broadcasters pay an additional fee. So thats it; licensing for the use in a broadcast is automatic and is just a cost.

However, to reproduce a work containing a song in a video, such as a release of an episode of a TV program, they have to get a reproduction permission for the music, and if it was from a CD or other phonorecord, they would need permission to reproduce the record performance also.

In the case of someone who wants to make a recording such as a cover version of a song, that's considerably easier. Makers of sound recordings can get an automatic license to do a cover version; if the music publisher won't agree on a license, you file a form with the U.S. Copyright office and twenty bucks, then you pay a fee to the music publisher for each one you sell.

This automatic license is not available for films, anything you use has to be negotiated with the rights holder directly, for each and every item used. If you miss any and the rights holder finds out, they can get anything from severe monetary damages (potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars) to (in certain cases) "impoundment and destruction" of the infringing work.

So it can be the reason a work isn't released is problems with other parties who worked on it wanting too much money, or being unable to get permission for some of the included songs, or deciding it's too much trouble (or there's considered not enough money to be made in a release) to justify going to the effort and trouble to work out all of the necessary clearances.

But many times it's just none of those reasons, or any apparent reason at all. It could be conveyed as a type of favoritism or nationalism, but for many fans of a series outside the home country, it seems nothing more than a giant middle finger to the rest of the world, with the message, à la the Soup Nazi: "No Export For You!"

Arguably one of the biggest causes of Internet piracy (you don't have many other choices when nobody will do a legal release). People in isolated areas can get very angry about this, which is why there are other choices. At the same time, infuriatingly, Internet piracy can also be a major cause of this in itself: while some companies have taken large amounts of downloads of their product in an area where it's not currently available as a sign of demand, others may think it's not worth releasing something in an area where people will just download it for free anyway.

Can lead to Sequel First or Marth Debuted In Smash Bros. Contrast Short Run In Peru.

See Bad Export For You for a less extreme, yet more insulting version. Compare to Offer Void In Nebraska.

In adding examples, remember: this isn't about you! Just because some series or game doesn't see the light of day in your particular region doesn't make it an example of this trope. This is about media that's not exported for no obvious reason. If there's likely not to be a strong market for the export, it's a completely fair reason for a company not to export their media to your region.

Because of the Internet, people are far more aware of media they were never really intended to be aware of in the first place. Just because a Vocal Minority believes a market is viable doesn't mean the market is viable.

In order for an example to qualify, the media must not be released in any given region for no obvious reason. Typically this means the example must meet at least one of the following conditions:

* It is part of a franchise which has at other times been proven successful in other regions (e.g. Sailor Moon).
* It was made with the specific intention of being sold overseas (e.g. Sin and Punishment).
* Its genre and/or sensibilities make it the sort of thing that would be exported in the absence of foreign fans clamouring for it.

The following are not valid examples:

* Television series of any kind (this includes much anime). By nature, most television is made explicitly for domestic consumption with little intent to export anyway. The only exception would be if it has already been released to some extent in some markets and proven successful (see criteria above).
* Media which has releases only in very similar markets. Because Canadian and US markets share so much in common, success in both means little to success in different markets.

For video games, examples are only to be included if at least one installment of a franchise has been released in a different Video Game region. Hundreds of other games never get released outside of their home market for the same reasons as television shows.

Tales of Gripe

If you are a fan of the Tales Series, Namco hates you. It's always a total crapshoot over whether any given title will ever be localized. Tales of Phantasia, the first in the series, wasn't localized for a decade and the version we got was widely considered the worst technically and the translation much disputed. (And Mis Blamed by people who have never actually read the original script) Even a recent PSP port of the far superior Playstation version was again abandoned for no reason at all. The worst part is that other companies have in fact offered to localize Tales games for Namco, but Namco, with the sole exception of the aforemention GBA Tales of Phantasia, adamantly refuses.

* Namco has also been known to cut features from Tales games in their NA localization; most notably, the lack of VA for skits in Tales Of The Abyss.
o Amusingly, in regards to Tales Of The Abyss...they actually added more stuff to the American Version, which actually got our hopes up way too much in thinking that they actually dropped their grudge towards us...and made Europe and Australia think they may have gotten it. NAMCOOOOOOOO!!!!!
o Actually, the stuff they "added" in Tales Of The Abyss wasn't much "added" as it was "completed." The stuff was always there in the game data, but apparently Japan didn't have time to finish it all. You can tell since the voice tracks are there in the files. See undub for reference.
* Apparently, Namco has released six cell-phone Tales games, but, of course, they haven't seen the light of day outside Japan.
* There's also the Playstation 2 special edition of Tales of Symphonia, which was similarly abandoned in Japan. Symphonia, we should point out, is by far the most popular and best-known Tales game in the US, beating out a series of Playstation and Playstation 2 releases despite being on the less-successful Gamecube. It can only be guessed that Namco actually hates making money.
o This may have something to do with one of the exceptions to the "Namco doesn't let other companies help them bring Tales games over" rule- apparently Nintendo funded the localization of the GCN version. Presumably this included an exclusivity deal (which would only apply in Europe and America).
o Which is a real shame, since one company that was interested in translating other games in the series was Atlus.
o On the other hand though, thankfully, Europe is getting the Symphonia sequel, Dawn of the New World, after a particularly tense moment where it looked as if we weren't getting ti at all. It's now confirmed for a September release. Not only that, but it will have an unlockable Gallery mode allowing us to view all the skits at our own leisure. Perhaps Namco are becoming slightly more lenient? Or maybe its their apology.
* The real Tales of Destiny 2 also never came over, partly due to sales of the two previous games, and partly because it was in 2D and Namco was dead set against releasing 2D Tales games in North America.
o While we're talking about SCEA's aversion to 2D games, Tales of Destiny's remake. Particularly egregious seeing as it's agruably the most popular 2D entry in the francise, even amongst English-speaking fans.
* They've also been leaving their Tales DS series in Japan with no explanation.
o Oh, it gets worse. While Tales of the Tempest and Tales Of Hearts have some sort of (not very convincing) reasoning for not coming to America (poor reception and 2D-ness, respectively), there is absolutely no explanation for completely ignoring Tales Of Innocence. Full 3D? Check. Easy to localize? Check. On the most popular portable console? Check. So, Namco, what gives?
o Also ignoring how Nintendo's al ittle more leniant towards sprites in regards to Hearts. Amusingly, there are quite a bit of sprite-based games on the DS.
* Europe's first Tales game was Symphonia. Then was the GBA Phantasia, the PSP port of Eternia (which, oddly enough, the US did not get) and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. Yes, a game aimed at fans of the whole series with tons of references and characters from all the Tales of games got to Europe while most of the referenced games did not. How fucked up is that?
o Eternia or Radiant Mythology? They both count. (To say nothing of Symphonia's numerous backhand references to Phantasia...)
o There are actually some unconfirmed rumours of Americans not getting the PSP port of Tales Of Eternia for the same reason it was named "Tales of Destiny 2" in America...potential copyright infringements with He Man, which also happens to take place in a setting called "Eternia". Fortunately, the PSP is actually region-free and one can obtain a version of the game that's based off of the original american port (Despite having rather...less than stunning quality voice acting...)
* Namco has also yet to announce a release date more precise than "2009" of Vesperia in Europe.
o Namco actually proved themselves to be a bunch of Magnificent Bastards when Vesperia finally did come out in Europe. You see, not only did they delay it for ten whole months, but they also refused to add anything for the European launch as compensation. So, basically, we got the North American version of the game ten whole months after it came out across the pond. Oh, and it gets worse. This was before they announced the PS 3 port. So, basically, we waited ten months for a beta version. Thanks, Namco.
o And as for official word on the PS3 port overseas, They are very clear and explicit about it.
o Troy Baker (Yuri's VA) somewhat hints on the localization of the PS3. Whether Troy would be the shining beacon of hope for PS3 players or was just trolling has yet to be proven.
* Namco has been known for giving people who don't own Sony products the middle finger. Tales Of Symphonia comes out...only for a Playstation2 version to come out later with extras. Then Tales Of Phantasia FINALLY gets localized in America and Europe...and then Namco announces a better version (based more off of the Playstation version than the Game Boy advance version, often considered the weakest version) on the Playstation Portable. Then comes Tales Of Vesperia...which is not only a big "Fuck you" to American and European gamers...but to the people who bought an Xbox 360 for this game in Japan as well!! Extras can be excusable since several of them (like in Tales of Symphonia) can be ignored, but Vesperia is just flipping us off with both fingers, then proceeding to gouge our eyes out after poking every single pressure point on our body with them.
* At least Namco Europe has a release date for Vesperia. According to them, Tales of the Abyss doesn't even exist.
o The Smash Bros. clone/competitor Tales of Versus has been released in Japan as of July 2009. With no English release announcement, of course. Maybe Namco just hates making money?
o Namco of America's filed a trademark for "Tales of Versus". If thats not a likelihood-increase of a localisation I don't know what is.
o Then again, they filled trademarks with one or two other Tales titles and they didn't come.
* Unusually enough...Tales Of Graces has a release date for Europe...but not in the U.S. Maybe it's going to be released PAL first, or will North America get the middle finger this time?
* Well,this is what i'd call karma.(referring to Namco Bandai's $340 million+ loss for the last year, 2009[source: Gamefaqs message board])
o Let's face it, the ONLY NBGI employee who loves his foreign fanbase is Katsuhiro Harada, producer of the Tekken series. Anyone else gives their non-Japanese fans the middle finger.
o One of the reason why Tales of Graces couldn't reach America (and a lesser extent Vesperia) was the no-win situation. Namco suffers from Piracy and the Sony Computer Entertainment America. Vesperia was classified as a port and thus must have a certified check by SCEA before being given the OK to import here (Which is costly and time consuming), if the check fails. It is a definite No Export For You which will mean anger will be directed at Sony, not Namco. And for Nintendo Tale series, Piracy had a negative effect on sales where Namco cannot control the pirates so easily overseas, this affected Namco's opinion of oversea gamers since they are often the first to receive the official firmware updates from Sony/Nintendo in Japan.
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