Is this the future of VNs in the west?
At the rate it's going Sekai Project will get over a quarter of a million dollars. I know VNs are not cheap to localize but when the fans are basically paying for the entire project, what risks are the company's taking here?
>>117042191
Well, it depends on where it will be sold. For one thing, if it will only be sold in America (I know Clannad has many fans in other countries), then people could feel that they have been ripped off.
Kickstarter acts like an LLC and nothing more. Companies don't take on the entire financial burden by themselves. If this is what it takes to get decent visual novels here in the west then so be it. Manga Gamer and Jast constantly shit the bed when it comes to getting decent visual novels localized.
>>117042191
I'm on the fence with that. On one hand, it gets translated, especially Clannad since it had a terrible fan translation. But on the other, exactly how much of my money will be going to the creators if I buy a localized copy, when I can already buy it directly now?
>>117042191
I wouldn't mind if they just kickstarted a few VN and then put the profits towards more.
However they are just putting up a kickstarter for all their shit. All the risk is on the consumer and the company gets all the profits. It's bullshit. Any fucking anon can put out a kickstarter.
And say what you want about translation fees, but the company should definitely be funding licensing costs themselves. Think about it. The product is already out there, so your money is literally going to costs for the company to be able to be able to sell it and make profit for themselves. That is 100% horseshit.
>>117042191
I just hate VNs getting exposure. It'll open the fans of more hardcore VNs to attack articles bySJWsand lead to even more stigmatization of those fanbases than now.
>>117042191
No, that's ridiculous. Clannad only worked because it's so popular already.
>>117042512
They don't know how to read anyway and VNs tend to be really huge time sinks for normalfags.
>>117042539
That doesn't matter, all they need is a screenshot someone made. You don't need to read something to talk about it, even if that's the ideal.
>>117042539
There was a thread about this just earlier todaythat got deleted by mods because it was about SJWs and how their biases when reviewing anime were based off of knee-jerk reactions that make no sensewhere ANN reviewers talked about how they tried to play FSN and either couldn't finish it because they couldn't stand the translation/writing, or because they thought it was rapingly sexist.
>>117042665
That's why I said they couldn't or don't know how to read and the thread was rightfully deleted because of the OP content.
>>117042191
Maybe someday we could lift our ass and start crowdfundings for this kind of shit also, except we'll make it completely free for anyone.
So it'll be like a one-time collective front payment things.
>>117042512
>I just hate VNs getting exposure
The same thing could be said for anime/manga in general.
Except there a a ton of untranslated VNs, and more exposure might help do something about it.
>>117042858
Excepting the free-bit, there was LWA2.
>>117042191
So what is wrong with the original translation done by fan translators and just who are these so called professional translators Sekai Project is hiring?
Aren't many professional translators just amateur translators as well who only unfairly get called professional just because they get paid to translate instead of doing it for free?
Because, face it, it's not like Sekai Project is gonna shell out a lot of cash for actual expert translators who translate Japanese legal documents or medical dictionaries/texts into English because those experts aren't gonna waste their time, translating VNs, in the first place.
>>117042191
>what risks are the company's taking here?
The risk of running out of already translated game to re-release with the "IT'S OFFICIAL!!!" sticker.
After that they have to work for real you know? The horror.
Good for them that they still have LB, Rewrite and all the others so they should be fine until 2020.
>Is this the future of VNs in the west?
Yeah, a future that looks exactly like the past.
>>117042963
Their primary translator is that guy from JAST USA.
Wasn't Grisaia supposed to get a kickstarter too at one point? By the same company no less.
>>117042993
>>117043006
>JAST USA
>We licensed all of Nitroplus VNs!
>Fanlators stop now!
>We're going to work with you to use your scripts
>Your scripts are shit, we're rewriting them
>5 years later
>No Nitroplus releases
>>117042904
I was talking about VNs.
And is ~150k really the cost of licensing and translating a 50 hour VN?
Is there further cost for licensing maintenance or some other bullshit?
If non, why can't we start crowsdfunding shit non-profitly, so that extra money doesn't have to go to filthy middlemen.
>>117042665
You're promoting clickbait and those threads that mention sexism or whatever tumblr crap somehow bring out all the attentionwhoring fujoshits on /a/ who also happen to be tumblrtards thanks to those 24/7 SnK/Free generals.
Besides, mentioning ANN reviewers much less their posters has always been frowned on /a/.
The only time /a/ accepted mentioning them was trolling ZAC over the Ore no Imouto leak that happened years ago and then ZAC got burthurt and started posting on /a/.
No one on /a/ gives a fucking about ANN reviews either.
The only time you should use ANN is posting a news annoucement article or looking up a VA or director or anime credits, etc.
/a/ and me could care less on the other hand, how much trouble ZAC or one of his fat fuck hambeasts had with playing a VN much less installing it.
>>117042512
>>117042587
Then go learn Japanese and quit bitching.
It's either they get more exposure and get translated or they don't and you pray some random bloke decides to pick it up as a fun school project.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too.
>>117042963
Professional by definition means they're getting paid to do it. It says nothing about their quality.
>>117042963
I don't know about their 'professional' translators, but the fantranslated Clannad was poorly translated, or so I heard.
>>117043045
Apparently the biggest chunk of that number goes to paying the company of the voice actors. I wish I had the numbers, but they won't release something like that.
>>117042963
VN translators have to have a large amount of cultural knowledge to draw upon and the ability to translate different dialects and slang. Professional translators have to deal with technical terms usually written in standard dialects
>>117043049
I sometimes wonder why ANN even watches anime. They seem to be offended by everything.
Fuck this shit.
>>117043089
Yes, it was. Not unreadable or horrendous, but there were a lot of mistakes.
Would rather learn moon at this point.
Fuck translators.
>>117043095
It's 40k for 8-9 VAs for that Grisaia KS.
http://prefundia.com/projects/view/lets-bring-the-grisaia-trilogy-to-the-west/2814/
>>117042440
They seem to be working very closely with Key. Every decision they take it's like they have to run it by them, I imagine this is almost like they're really just publishing it for Key instead of licensing it.
>>117042587
Or the ESRB ratings.
>>117042539
There are some shot enough, like Saya no Uta.
>>117042440
Forget buying things through middlemen.
Just pirate it and import yourself some nice merchs instead.
>>117043142
Enjoy your rewrites
>>117043142
I just don't understand this. Food is universal. It's not something you need to localize.
So, let me get this straight, Sekai Project gets over 220k from kickstarter AND they get to make even more money by selling the product to fans when fans paid for the entire localization. What a load of shit. Fuck that. No way in hell it costs over 220k to license a game made in 2004.
>>117043200
Remember Koihime Musou?
$40 per game, couldn't even negotiate for voices until they sold 2500 copies.
>>117043200
Yeah it's bullshit where they dont have to spend a penny.
>>117043200
It costs $140k to license the game, voices, PS3 port upgraded graphics, hire translators, produce physical copies, and pay the KS fee. That was their goal.
They met their goal. Now everything they make is extra. Because they've made so much more they already announced that the physical game will be upgraded to also include the physical artbook and soundtrack disc, and be as close to the original high quality Japanese release as possible. They'll then announce stretch goals like ports and lord knows what for the extra money the kickstarter makes.
People who don't understand what Kickstarter is like annoy me.
I just want to know if they'll use the xbox360s sprites along with their interface for the PC version. The 360 version supported widescreen and had a higher resolution.
>>117043190
Jelly donuts.
>>117043200
What I don't like about this kickstarter crap is that they only go for all ages version even if an 18+ version is available and the one people play more.
>>117043284
Yes, it is cancer, we all know it.
>>117043309
>One Piece goes to bonus stories during filler
>Chopperman animated
>Zoro is a Jelly Donuter, a horrible jelly donut villain
>Clearly a musubi/rice ball
Fucking 4kids.
>>117043200
How much profit do they actually make? They probably can't afford to license an entire game with extras by themselves; if they could, they wouldn't be asking the fans to do it for them. This company is literally being run by the fans.
>>117043329
Wait, what? Their Grisaia sequels that they want to release will only be All Ages?
>>117043284
That doesn't change the fact that they are able to create their product with the money they got from crowdfunding and still keep the licenses so that any future profit from purchases of said product will go to them.
They are basically free getting funds from fans instead of loaning them from the banks like any other businesses.
>>117043339
But its still a company, company's have to spend money to make money. kickstarter bypasses all that and puts almost all the financial risks on the fans. That's a terrible way to do business.
>>117043261
All the people backing it were potential customers who won't buy the game after it's released because they'll already have gotten it through the kickstarter. They're either making less money or the same amount by doing this as they would licensing it the oldschool way.
>>117043329
>>117043359
The original Clannad is all ages.
18+ is Tomoyo Afterstories.
And the upcoming Grisaia translations are supposes to be 18+.
>>117043387
Fans are basically limited liability partners under the Kickstarter model. It's pretty normal.
>>117043329
Best case scenario will be release with optional h-scenes, though if Frontwing don't have that release themselves, I don't know if they'd allow Sekai to mess with their game to make one.
>>117043387
What happens if the goal isn't met? Do the fans get anything?
>>117043396
>They're either making less money or the same amount
This is an obvious lie.
Please elaborate if you truly believe so.
>>117043284
>People who don't understand what Kickstarter is like annoy me.
This.
>There are people expecting a finished product
Ok it's a vn so it will be finished. But it wont be a good quality thing, becuase it's kickstarter.
>TLJ
>MN9
>PoE
So much regret.
>>117043418
>Do the fans get anything?
We get the blame.
>>117043378
Are you a buttblasted banker or something? So what if they're a business of the 21st century who don't use an old and busted method of funding like bank loans?
>>117043339
>This company is literally being run by the fans.
Except the 'fans' doesn't get any profit, not even commisionary.
>>117043428
>But it wont be a good quality thing, becuase it's kickstarter.
Well, the Grisaia fan patch already has proven quality. All it needs now is the popularity to back up its release.
>>117043401
They aren't because they are neither offered stock in the company nor have they been included in any actual federal protection laws nor specifically mentioned because Congress is still slow as shit about crap that has to do with the internet and that shitty internet tax is probably gonna be delayed or ignored.
>>117043450
They get the product they want. I'd love if I could just give money towards any localization I want rather than what stupid investors believe would be profitable.
>>117043284
>People who don't understand what Kickstarter is like annoy me.
How is this a kickstarter? Fans funded the entire fucking novel. That's not a kickstart, that's secured financial revenue to fund the entire project. There is no kickstart here.
>>117043396
No.
A dev makes a risk and pays for a product to be translated and released elsewhere.
Here, there is no risk and the product only gets the green light when they garuntee costs are covered. Then you have additional money when KS goes over, and finally you have the customers who buy the game after localization.
Here there is no upfront cost or risk.You're full of shit.
>>117042539
>implying they would actually play any before criticizing
Those kind of people aren't driven by any kind of logic.
>>117043474
They're given products, often exclusive products. It's not as if anyone is losing money or value in kicking a project, especially if it fails.
>>117043442
>Are you a buttblasted banker or something?
Nope, I wish. Maybe if you stick to a proper discussion and don't resort to ad hominem, it'll be longer for people to discard your opinion.
>So what if they're a business of the 21st century who don't use an old and busted method of funding like bank loans?
It's a problem if they are making money with little to no starting capital/funds. It's even more of a problem if they are the only one doing it and monopolizes the market. Fortunately, other companies such as JAST exist.
>>117043450
It would have made some sense if they were at least selling company shares at bloated prices or something.
Crowdfunding projects are at this point at the level of scams. This is the most dirty and pathetic way to do business right now.
>>117043483
This is the dumbest post I've seen tonight, and that's saying something.
>>117043040
So JAST USA is just full of shit. I thought I can get some Seinarukana and whatever its continuation or prequel from them.
>>117043482
>all those shitty anime licensed by an otherwise good licensing and localizing company
>all those great anime licensed by a dirt cheap licensing company who gives material to a shitty quantity-over-quality localizing company
>the fans have no say in what they should or shouldn't license
>>117043520
>JAST
JAST doesn't even release 2 VNs a year. They're squatting on licenses for no good reason other than to serve as a legal enforcer for Japanese companies in the US.
>>117042191
Why are people giving money for something thats already translated?
