Topic: Castlevania Anthologies petition on Change.org

[MathUser]

With the next gen Playstation and Xboxs rumored to be announced this summer I doubt a compilation would be likely on current gen systems.

[knightmere]

Konami will never do this, they would would rather release each game individually on multiple platforms in order to maximize profits.

[JoshuaKadmon]

Konami will never do this, they would would rather release each game individually on multiple platforms in order to maximize profits.

They will never sell enough individual digital copies of 8-bit and 16-bit classics to make the kind of profit that even one compilation would make, and the reasons are common sense:

1) Compilations appeal to the completionist mentality of long-time fans and collectors, adding significant value to seek out an anthology instead of individual entries. Having many games fragmented over a variety of platforms only leads to spontaneous, unpredictable sales. This is the exact reason why digital bundles perform so well on Steam even at heavily discounted prices.

2) There are many games in the Castlevania series that players would be less likely to purchase on an individual basis, such as the lackluster N64 titles or the controversial Judgment. But packing them in with fan-favorites means that Konami can get extra mileage out of even the weakest parts of the CV franchise.

3) Anthologies often include exclusive extras that cannot be purchased in other ways, thus incentivizing the purchase and allowing Konami to charge full retail price despite the games' age.

There are other reasons to consider, but I believe those provide the strongest reasoning for releasing the proposed anthologies, even if Konami continues to offer individual digital versions, as well. The two distribution methods often appeal to entirely different sets of consumers, so the sales of an anthology would not greatly impact the more spontaneous purchasing of singular downloads.

[Shiroi Koumori]

The question I would like to raise is the same one IGA mentioned in a past interview (I forgot where). What would Konami gain by issuing such an anthology?
1. Only a few people like us (considering the whole gaming population) would buy this.
2. The production money needed to make this possible. Old ports do not look good at current systems so they have to be refurbished.
3. Even if they sold it digitally, we still return to the production costs.
4. Lastly, why make a compilation when you can make a new game instead? Hopefully that introduces younger people to the series.

[JoshuaKadmon]

The question I would like to raise is the same one IGA mentioned in a past interview (I forgot where). What would Konami gain by issuing such an anthology?
1. Only a few people like us (considering the whole gaming population) would buy this.
2. The production money needed to make this possible. Old ports do not look good at current systems so they have to be refurbished.
3. Even if they sold it digitally, we still return to the production costs.
4. Lastly, why make a compilation when you can make a new game instead? Hopefully that introduces younger people to the series.

First off, they would potentially regain fans who have been scattered to the four winds over the course of three decades, many of which would not have had the ability or determination to keep up with every installment.  (I'm not saying this for myself, as I own every game on every system, but I know that isn't the norm.)  Secondly, they would be appealling to the recent trend of retro gaming and possibly pick up a large number of new fans who would have no other way to play so many classic CV titles.

1) Why would anyone believe that?  It may be true that only long-time CV fans would purchase the individual games released digitally on Virtual Console or something, but when a massive anthology is released, it appeals to a much broader audience that has an interest in the easy-access nostalgia of a complete collection like that.  Gamers have been embracing retro efforts like this for years.  Why would they ignore one of the most renowned legacies in gaming if it were consolidated for their convenience?  They wouldn't.

2) This doesn't even come close to the budget needed to make a brand new game.  Old assets can be recycled, and no one would expect complete remakes.  Many players would be fine with framed-in, jaggy visuals anyway, but the bilinear filtering and other graphics buffers used in PC emulators have been satisfying enough that Konami should have no trouble replicating the effect.  The production cost for BOTH anthologies would be a tiny fraction of the funding necessary for a modern title, probably somewhere in the vicinity of $1.5 million.  That means that it would only take TENS of thousands of sold copies to make it profitable, not the HUNDREDS of thousands or even MILLIONS it takes to turn a respectable profit on a next-gen release.  Production time is also considerably lower, as it would only take Konami 4~6 months to produce both, and they could space them out to get a more constant return on their investment.

3) I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying.  As I stated in the petition, Konami should produce a limited number of hardcopies to make the mainstream public more aware of the anthologies' existence and to entice collectors who still prefer bookshelf hardcopies.  Digital releases of the anthologies on PSN, XBL, Steam, etc. would help bolster profits due to the 70% developer / 30% distributor split on returns, unlike the opposite retail model.

4) Konami and their partners ARE continuing to make new games in the CV franchise.  This is a separate objective with a low cost that will not throw off current development in any way.  There is no need to replace one for the other, since the resources needed for each don't even fall into the same ballpark.

In the end, this is a rare opportunity, one that equally benefits both the players and the developer.  That kind of scenario doesn't happen often in our current gaming climate, as the desire of players usually comes into direct conflict with the money-mongering of big business (I'm looking at you, EA and Capcom).  When a project like this could be awesome for fans while standing to make a HUGE profit for Konami, shouldn't it be common sense to act on it?!

I like Igarashi as a creative director, but judging by some of his past decisions, common sense isn't necessarily his forté.

[JoshuaKadmon]

Thank you! I appreciate it! 
I will sign it!

I made the change we discussed concerning Dracula X (aka Vampire's Kiss).

[BushidoViking]

I signed this the minute, I saw it on Facebook. Kyle Alexander Wright. Remember me? 

[JoshuaKadmon]

I signed this the minute, I saw it on Facebook. Kyle Alexander Wright. Remember me? 

Yes, I remember you, and I appreciate the support. It's nice to know that my shameless promotion of the petition elsewhere on the web is reaching some hardcore fans.

[Pfil]

I made the change we discussed concerning Dracula X (aka Vampire's Kiss).

Great! Thank you!
I already signed it on saturday

[Shiroi Koumori]

First off, they would potentially regain fans who have been scattered to the four winds over the course of three decades, many of which would not have had the ability or determination to keep up with every installment.  (I'm not saying this for myself, as I own every game on every system, but I know that isn't the norm.)  Secondly, they would be appealling to the recent trend of retro gaming and possibly pick up a large number of new fans who would have no other way to play so many classic CV titles.

1) Why would anyone believe that?  It may be true that only long-time CV fans would purchase the individual games released digitally on Virtual Console or something, but when a massive anthology is released, it appeals to a much broader audience that has an interest in the easy-access nostalgia of a complete collection like that.  Gamers have been embracing retro efforts like this for years.  Why would they ignore one of the most renowned legacies in gaming if it were consolidated for their convenience?  They wouldn't.

2) This doesn't even come close to the budget needed to make a brand new game.  Old assets can be recycled, and no one would expect complete remakes.  Many players would be fine with framed-in, jaggy visuals anyway, but the bilinear filtering and other graphics buffers used in PC emulators have been satisfying enough that Konami should have no trouble replicating the effect.  The production cost for BOTH anthologies would be a tiny fraction of the funding necessary for a modern title, probably somewhere in the vicinity of $1.5 million.  That means that it would only take TENS of thousands of sold copies to make it profitable, not the HUNDREDS of thousands or even MILLIONS it takes to turn a respectable profit on a next-gen release.  Production time is also considerably lower, as it would only take Konami 4~6 months to produce both, and they could space them out to get a more constant return on their investment.

3) I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying.  As I stated in the petition, Konami should produce a limited number of hardcopies to make the mainstream public more aware of the anthologies' existence and to entice collectors who still prefer bookshelf hardcopies.  Digital releases of the anthologies on PSN, XBL, Steam, etc. would help bolster profits due to the 70% developer / 30% distributor split on returns, unlike the opposite retail model.

4) Konami and their partners ARE continuing to make new games in the CV franchise.  This is a separate objective with a low cost that will not throw off current development in any way.  There is no need to replace one for the other, since the resources needed for each don't even fall into the same ballpark.

In the end, this is a rare opportunity, one that equally benefits both the players and the developer.  That kind of scenario doesn't happen often in our current gaming climate, as the desire of players usually comes into direct conflict with the money-mongering of big business (I'm looking at you, EA and Capcom).  When a project like this could be awesome for fans while standing to make a HUGE profit for Konami, shouldn't it be common sense to act on it?!

I like Igarashi as a creative director, but judging by some of his past decisions, common sense isn't necessarily his forté.

Just to let you know I am not against this petition, I like it to happen too, but for the sake of debate...
You have raised good counterpoints.
1. It is not that I am very pessimistic, but even when the anthology is available, we can say some gamers who appreciate retro would buy it. But how many people would buy? Companies would want to know the market share they would get. Castlevania is not as big of a title as some others out there.

2, 3 and 4. No more comments from me.

[JoshuaKadmon]

Just to let you know I am not against this petition, I like it to happen too, but for the sake of debate...
You have raised good counterpoints.
1. It is not that I am very pessimistic, but even when the anthology is available, we can say some gamers who appreciate retro would buy it. But how many people would buy? Companies would want to know the market share they would get. Castlevania is not as big of a title as some others out there.

2, 3 and 4. No more comments from me.

The point I'm trying to make is this: Even a relatively small number of sales could make this kind of project profitable. Market share only applies to a company's overall performance across its entire product library, and in terms of raw returns, the anthologies would almost certainly help in this regard. For instance, if one anthology takes $750,000 to produce, and it sells at least 35,000 hardcopies and at least 7000 digital downloads, it's already profitable. Market analysis on Castlevania titles in the last five years would suggest that an anthology would be guaranteed at least 300,000 copies (with a majority sold in America). Even without factoring in high-profit digital copies, that's an immediate return of $3.75 million to KONAMI, and with a projected 20,000 downloads at bare minimum expectations, that would be another $630,000.  This is a very conservative estimate, and the actual number of copies sold would be modest compared to any mainstream blockbuster.  But the profit margin is tremendous, and less conservative estimates could easily double or even triple that revenue.

When you look at it this way, it's hard to understand why KONAMI wouldn't want to do it, right?

For comparison, LoS needed to sell approximately 1.3 million units just to break even, which it exceeded by a fair margin at around 2 million.  Still, that means that the game only grossed about $10~$12 million, and not all of that would have gone to KONAMI since MercurySteam handled development.  It is very possible that the two anthologies could make a higher overall profit with less than 1/4 of the total shipped units of LoS, and the overhead cost would be around 1/20 of LoS's upfront funding.  Of course, this is using the best estimates to which we [as consumers] have access.

[Shiroi Koumori]

When you look at it this way, it's hard to understand why KONAMI wouldn't want to do it, right?

Maybe they are looking at the Japanese market which is well... not that responsive to Castlevania.

[JoshuaKadmon]

Maybe they are looking at the Japanese market which is well... not that responsive to Castlevania.

If they were only looking at the Japanese market, Lords of Shadow would never have been in the hands of a Western studio, and the franchise probably would have been abandoned long ago.  No, the series' success has long rested on our shoulders, and it would be impossible for KONAMI to ignore that.  Take the Dracula X Chronicles, for instance, which sold about a quarter-million units in America to Japan's <40,000 units, despite the fact that PSP has always been exponentially more successful in its home country.  And KONAMI actually considers DXC to be a success.

[JoshuaKadmon]

And on the subject of The Dracula X Chronicles (which is one of my all-time favorite CV releases), I would love to see KONAMI continue making Chronicles collections.  Of course, I would prefer to see them make the Anthologies as detailed in the petition, but I would ALMOST be satisfied with the following series of Chronicles releases:

-2001-
   Castlevania Chronicles [PSX]
      Castlevania Chronicles ~Arrange Mode~
      Castlevania ~X68000 Original Mode~

-2007-
   The Dracula X Chronicles [PSP]
      Rondo of Blood ~2.5D Version~
      Rondo of Blood
      Symphony of the Night

-2013-
   Chronicles HD Collection [PS3]
      Lament of Innocence HD
      Curse of Darkness HD

-2014-
   The Belmont Chronicles [PSV]
      Dracula's Curse ~2.5D Version~
      Dracula's Curse
      Simon's Quest

-2014-
   Chronicles of Sorrow [3DS]
      Aria of Sorrow ~3D Parallax in HD~
      Dawn of Sorrow
      Order of Ecclesia

-2015-
   Vampire Killer Chronicles [3DS]
      Harmony of Dissonance ~3D Parallax in HD~
      Bloodlines
      Portrait of Ruin

-2016-
   The Judgment Chronicles [WIIU]
      Judgment HD
      Castlevania 64
      Legacy of Darkness

Just a thought...

[TheCruelAngel]

And on the subject of The Dracula X Chronicles (which is one of my all-time favorite CV releases), I would love to see KONAMI continue making Chronicles collections.  Of course, I would prefer to see them make the Anthologies as detailed in the petition, but I would ALMOST be satisfied with the following series of Chronicles releases:

-1993-
   Castlevania Chronicles [PSX]
      Castlevania / Vampire Killer / Super Castlevania IV / Haunted Castle

-2007-
   The Dracula X Chronicles [PSP]
      Rondo of Blood ~2.5D Version~
      Rondo of Blood
      Symphony of the Night

-2013-
   Chronicles HD Collection [PS3]
      Lament of Innocence HD
      Curse of Darkness HD

-2014-
   The Belmont Chronicles [PSV]
      Dracula's Curse ~2.5D Version~
      Dracula's Curse
      Simon's Quest

-2014-
   Chronicles of Sorrow [3DS]
      Aria of Sorrow ~3D Parallax in HD~
      Dawn of Sorrow
      Order of Ecclesia

-2015-
   Vampire Killer Chronicles [3DS]
      Harmony of Dissonance ~3D Parallax in HD~
      Bloodlines
      Portrait of Ruin

-2016-
   The Judgment Chronicles [WIIU]
      Judgment HD
      Castlevania 64
      Legacy of Darkness

Just a thought...

I won't lie...I'd buy all of them.