Possible Distribution of Touhou Project in America

[98digger]

With ZUN's trip to America going well, it might be safe to assume that he is considering an American distribution of the Touhou Project series. This is backed by several things that ZUN said during his panels, all of which hinted at a U.S. distribution, including a comment he made about a possible Steam release. On a side note, doujin game distributer "Rockin Android" had said that they spoke to ZUN about releasing the games in the U.S., but no deal was reached.

There are major problems that could arise with a distribution company, which is why I am creating this post. About a year ago, doujin game "Bunny Must Die" was released in the U.S. by Rockin Android. Rockin Android changed multiple aspects of the game, which destroyed the game overall:

-The soundtrack was remixed (the remixed soundtrack played by default)
-Several bosses were changed
-In the optional original soundtrack of the game, some songs, including "Chosen One", which referenced NES game "Shadowgate",  were largely changed

It would definately be awful if a distribution company did the above things to the Touhou series. If Touhou is to get a proper distribution the following probably should be done:

-The games should be released in MULTIPLE formats, not just Steam. CD-ROM, digital download, and other methods would all work.
-The soundtrack should NOT be changed in any way. No optional remixes or "improved" songs.
-The graphics should not change much from what they are now.
-ZUN should DEFINATELY be involved with distribution.

As for the PC-98 games, they probably will never make it to the U.S. But, similar to how ZUN had no idea that people outside of Japan liked his Windows games, I am positive that he has no idea that people like the original 5 PC-9801 games. If someone told him, then he might post them up for download on his site, eliminating the need for an American distribution of the PC-98 games.

So, if you have anything to say about this article, or any news regarding a U.S. Touhou distribution, then please post a comment .

[Gpop]

I doubt ZUN would ever allow any company to handle distribution without him having most of the say.

In terms of Steam, did anyone ever mention to ZUN about the Greenlight system in which if he proposed his games and people voted it in, he'll have it accepted to be up on Steam. I think it's his best bet if he's looking into getting into Steam.

[98digger]

I doubt ZUN would ever allow any company to handle distribution without him having most of the say.

In terms of Steam, did anyone ever mention to ZUN about the Greenlight system in which if he proposed his games and people voted it in, he'll have it accepted to be up on Steam. I think it's his best bet if he's looking into getting into Steam.

To my knowledge, only Steam in general has been discussed by ZUN at the convention. He was kind of brief when mentioning details regarding a distribution that way.

[akj]

In terms of Steam, did anyone ever mention to ZUN about the Greenlight system in which if he proposed his games and people voted it in, he'll have it accepted to be up on Steam.

If of all people, ZUN has to go through Greenlight, Steam has officially failed.

[Gpop]

If of all people, ZUN has to go through Greenlight, Steam has officially failed.

well Divekick got through with Greenlight so...

[hungrybookworm]

OK, so here's the thing. The tumblr transcript says this:

Q: There is a rumor that the games will be available on Steam. Is it true? [This is my question as well a friend?s.]
A: ?There are talks.? There is no agreement and it is difficult to release something on Steam. It?s not just an okay and go thing.

Word of the Nerd Online's transcription says this:

ZUN: Steam is really good. I like it. There is talk about it, but it?s just talk. It would be good if it was, but it?s just a rumor. Nothing has been decided. It?s also really difficult to release. The process would be really complex to complete.

If we assume the Tumblr transcript is right, then ZUN's comments about not planning on localising Touhou make absolutely no sense whatsoever, since I doubt Steam are gonna let him just put it on in Japanese.

So sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but it looks like the tumblr transcripter misheard ZUN's answer. Hopefully someone will ask a follow up question to clarify things (especially since a lot of the Japanese translations seem to have used the tumblr transcript, so someone will inevitably ask him about it over twitter at least).

[akj]

(especially since a lot of the Japanese translations seem to have used the tumblr transcript

Haha well yeah. ZUN is asked in English, which is then translated into JP, he then first answers in JP, which is then translated into English, then translated back into JP by people who may not be all that great in English.

It's a nightmare! Couldn't someone have just released a version of what ZUN said, verbatim in JP?  :V

[98digger]

OK, so here's the thing. The tumblr transcript says this:
Word of the Nerd Online's transcription says this:If we assume the Tumblr transcript is right, then ZUN's comments about not planning on localising Touhou make absolutely no sense whatsoever, since I doubt Steam are gonna let him just put it on in Japanese.

So sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but it looks like the tumblr transcripter misheard ZUN's answer. Hopefully someone will ask a follow up question to clarify things (especially since a lot of the Japanese translations seem to have used the tumblr transcript, so someone will inevitably ask him about it over twitter at least).

Ah, too bad we don't know for certain if the games will make it here. But we can assume that they eventually will get a U.S. release, especially after ZUN saw how large the Touhou fanbase here is for himself.

Also, has anyone asked him yet if he can put his original PC-9801 games up for download on his site ?  He probably would, because they are for an outdated personal computer anyways. I think that part of the reason he has not done this yet is because he has kind of a lack of communication with his fans. This is the same reason why it took so long for him to learn about the existence of Touhou fans in the U.S., but at least now he knows we exist.

[Ruka]

That was me who made the tumblr post, and I would refer to www.wordofthenerdonline.com/zun-awa-panel-recap/ for a more thorough transcript. If you really want to know what was said at the Q&A, someone who had press privileges needs to post a video. I was not allowed to take pictures or video after the ZUN group pic. My source came from the interpreter as the interpreter was talking.

Regarding localization though, this is how I understood it. Distribution in Steam (should it happen) would be the original games in Japanese. Localization entails actually translating the games before distribution hence why ZUN mentioned the English patches during the localization question as opposed to the Steam question. That's my best understanding.

[akj]

I sure as hell appreciated your work in posting that wall-o-text up! Cheers!  :toot:

[cuc]

Regarding the

With ZUN's trip to America going well, it might be safe to assume that he is considering an American distribution of the Touhou Project series. This is backed by several things that ZUN said during his panels, all of which hinted at a U.S. distribution, including a comment he made about a possible Steam release. On a side note, doujin game distributer "Rockin Android" had said that they spoke to ZUN about releasing the games in the U.S., but no deal was reached.

There are major problems that could arise with a distribution company, which is why I am creating this post. About a year ago, doujin game "Bunny Must Die" was released in the U.S. by Rockin Android. Rockin Android changed multiple aspects of the game, which destroyed the game overall:

-The soundtrack was remixed (the remixed soundtrack played by default)
-Several bosses were changed
-In the optional original soundtrack of the game, some songs, including "Chosen One", which referenced NES game "Shadowgate",  were largely changed

It would definately be awful if a distribution company did the above things to the Touhou series. If Touhou is to get a proper distribution the following probably should be done:

-The games should be released in MULTIPLE formats, not just Steam. CD-ROM, digital download, and other methods would all work.
-The soundtrack should NOT be changed in any way. No optional remixes or "improved" songs.
-The graphics should not change much from what they are now.
-ZUN should DEFINATELY be involved with distribution.

As for the PC-98 games, they probably will never make it to the U.S. But, similar to how ZUN had no idea that people outside of Japan liked his Windows games, I am positive that he has no idea that people like the original 5 PC-9801 games. If someone told him, then he might post them up for download on his site, eliminating the need for an American distribution of the PC-98 games.

So, if you have anything to say about this article, or any news regarding a U.S. Touhou distribution, then please post a comment .

While I appreciate that a thread on this important topic has been started, the tone of your first post comes off as overly biased and not considerate enough for such a complex subject with so many factors involved. For example, if the changes to Bunny Must Die were demanded by the creator (in fact they likely were), can you simply claim they "ruined" the game, without taking into account the wishes and vision of the creator?

If you are trying to encourage discussion, it's preferrable to not present your personal opinions using language such as "should", and focus more on bringing up matters worth discussing .

[N-Forza]

I still think people are getting too optimistic about his comments, because unless something happens at this convention that just makes him do a 180 (or 90), it isn't going to happen any time soon.

And I agree with cuc about the Rockin' Android matter. I highly doubt that the developer would've allowed such changes to happen unless they were behind it themselves. I imagine any localization company will be well-aware of what makes Touhou so popular and change only what absolutely needs to be changed.

[Tengukami]

Yeah it seems pretty clear he's only just now at the "here's something to talk about, the execution of which looks pretty complicated" stage. I think it might be a bit premature to get into the nature of the hypothetical distribution.

That said, I'm really curious to see where things go from here.

[98digger]

Yeah it seems pretty clear he's only just now at the "here's something to talk about, the execution of which looks pretty complicated" stage. I think it might be a bit premature to get into the nature of the hypothetical distribution.

That said, I'm really curious to see where things go from here.

Seeing now that ZUN probably would not go with a distribution company, I present a new question: What would happen if the Touhou Project series was distributed in the United States and how would people react to it?

[hungrybookworm]

Why just the United States? There's loads of other countries that'd be affected (like mine *waves flag*). But anyway, I think a lot of people would buy it, (not as many as GTAV, but enough for ZUN to buy his own mansion) and there's nothing really controversial in the games so I doubt anyone would find them offensive. Heck I could probably get most of my friends to buy it just telling them it has female protagonists that aren't half naked.

[Tengukami]

If distribution were electronic, availability in just one select country seems like a moot question anyway.

[98digger]

Why just the United States? There's loads of other countries that'd be affected (like mine *waves flag*). But anyway, I think a lot of people would buy it, (not as many as GTAV, but enough for ZUN to buy his own mansion) and there's nothing really controversial in the games so I doubt anyone would find them offensive. Heck I could probably get most of my friends to buy it just telling them it has female protagonists that aren't half naked.

Yes, other countries such as Australia and the UK definitely deserve a Touhou release. However, if the games do get released in the U.S., then it will only be a matter of time before they make it to other nations as well, via eBay or an official release. Touhou is becoming a global phenomenon.

[Stuffman]

What would happen if the Touhou Project series was distributed in the United States and how would people react to it?

Nothing would happen, Touhou is already mainstream. Anybody who would care already knows what it is. It just means people who are willing to pay for the games but not go through the trouble of importing could finally acquire them legally.

Well, one thing that could be interesting is adding a built-in netplay function to PoFV and IaMP...

[Sage Ω (Ultima)]

Seeing now that ZUN probably would not go with a distribution company, I present a new question: What would happen if the Touhou Project series was distributed in the United States and how would people react to it?

The only outcome is that it would give western players an easier way of getting the game(besides piracy). Touhou is already widely known in the west, many people are playing the games now. A western release wouldn't change much.

[helvetica]

This is complete speculation based on a couple of offhand comments. The extent of ZUNs plans are pretty much along the lines of "oh I have fans in America, maybe I should think about games here?". There's nothing beyond some simple daydreams.