How come RPG's are NEVER ported over?

[Sylentwulf]

You'd think this would be the easiest genre of all to make multi-platform, yet I can't really think of ANY RPG that's ever been on more than one console (besides remakes).

There's NO timing issues, and it IS a pretty damn big and important genre, so why no multi-releases? Hell, you'd think open-ended platforms, GTA type games, and Fighters would be the hardest to multi-platform, and they're ALWAYS on all three systems out at the time. Just weird that developers like Square and Enix (now one) have always limited themselves to one console (and that console always sells the best, but that's another thread)

[dr mario kart]

i guess someone decided it wasnt economical to do so, or maybe when a console company pays them for sole distribution rights.

[Drexel923]

Yeah the only thing I can think of is that the right RPG, if good enough, can give a console a huge edge in sales. So everyone is trying to get the exclusive that will rake in the dough and maybe even start a franchise. Remember, 99% percent of the time, its all about the money.

[calthaer]

You talking only about consoles?

They had Final Fantasy VII and VIII on the PC, along with Grandia, Grandia II, and a really gimpy one called Blaze & Blade.

[kainemaxwell]

Don't forget, porting RPGs over takes alot of work translating text from japanese to English as well.

[Sylentwulf]

I meant porting from one console to another, so all the translation is already done, and no didn't really count PC's, because that's a whole other ballpark :)

I'm sure it IS mostly "exclusive deals" but I still find it downright WEIRD that neither the gamecube or xbox really don't have ny RPG's (3-4 between them, vs. playstation 2's 10-20+ QUALITY RPG's)

The last time I said "whichever console has the best RPG's usually dominates the sales charts" I got flamed 5 ways from last thanksgiving, so I'd hate to actually say THAT again :)

[IntvGene]

Yea, Grandia II made it onto the PC, DC, and PS2. Great game too.

I think it is more of the companies themselves and the deals that are in place, in most instances. I think that they could do it. I also think alot of companies don't see the Xbox market (PC games, FPS, strategy games) the same as the PS2 RPG base. Most of the popular RPGs are made in Japan first, where the Xbox and GC are still getting relatively killed, and there are very few third party companies developing for those two systems anyway.

[Kid Fenris]

I think IntvGene's got it. With the PlayStation 2 dominating the Japanese market, there isn't much cause for RPG developers to concentrate on the less successful systems. Why go through the trouble of assembling a port of Final Fantasy X or Xenosaga (which would require bug testing, if not some extra programming) when you can just make a sequel on the same hardware, thus ensuring that everyone who bought the first game has the means to play its follow-up?

Unless a Japanese RPG meets with lousy sales or shows up on an obscure or dying system, a company probably won't go for a port. I suspect that Grandia II, the Evolution titles, and Skies or Arcadia were ported under the impression that a lot of potential buyers had missed the games when they appeared on the Dreamcast.

Blaze and Blade? Unless I'm mistaken, that one didn't come to any American consoles. Those lucky PC gamers.

[maxlords]

Heh...I have Blaze and Blade for PC...got it from geelw :D Sometimes it pays to say yes to PC gaming!

Anyway, I'd say that they don't port them partly because of deals in place, and partly because even on a single platform, most RPG sales plateau rather quickly. They don't sell for months and months straight like some of the Triple A titles, and they don't usually stay in print that long, so the market would end up flooded if they multiplatformed them. That said, I wish there were more for the XBox, because I like my graphics clean, and the PS2 is a joke in comparison to the XBox (or the GC for that matter) for sheer graphical power. But the PS2 is the "RPG machine" so I have to keep buying the damn things for PS2. If a game is a multi-platform release, I almost always try to buy the XBox one though.