Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Hakurei Shrine~ => Touhou Addict Recovery Center => Topic started by: Lt Colonel Summers on February 28, 2015, 08:20:15 AM
-
Suppose a big-shot video game company bought the license of the entire Touhou series...
Which company do you think will buy the license, and how will they remake the series?
-
Isn't "big-shot buyout" the opposite of everything ZUN stands for?
-
Isn't "big-shot buyout" the opposite of everything ZUN stands for?
It is, so the question is moot. It would never happen. I think this is more completely hypothetical, like, "What would Touhou be like if ZUN liked to blaze it instead of drink beer?", which is fine.
We regularly see a similar question (https://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=16776.0) regarding what would happen to Touhou if ZUN died, which often brings with it speculations of a larger company swooping in to buy it up. But, as gets pointed out, any big-name company that wanted Touhou could buy it out already. Which hasn't happened.
-
Hmm I dont think Zun would actually sell the rights of Touhou to another company, unless he was like YOLO and went off in life for retirement or wanted to pursue something else.
But I guess Square Enix would buy it? If they did buy it they probably wouldn't change it much except add better character design & graphics, as well as make the game significantly easier by adding in a bunch of power ups and boosters to the games to make them slightly more interesting. Maybe also they would make the storyline of a game longer?
Oh, and they'd probably also add more male characters in the game.
-
Well the question is "what if"(I think that's what he asked), so let's just pretend ZUN did decide to sell it, or collaborated with some big-shot company.
For me it'd either be IF or NIS. 'Cause honestly speaking, I doubt any western companies would take it. So that leaves JP devs to take the franchise. Companies like SE is too busy milking their main franchise, to handle another series.
So it'll have to be the next best companies that actually goes for a lot of Moe, and animu. Which is ofc, IF or NIS. Nintendo is a possibility, also ones such as Bandai Namco, Capcom, etc.,but I srz think IF or NIS would be better.
There's a lot of ways how they'll remake the series. So I don't really know how. But if you played their games, they'd probably do some similar things with the franchise. Plus, add more Moe and ecchi.
-
Well the question is "what if"(I think that's what he asked), so let's just pretend ZUN did decide to sell it, or collaborated with some big-shot company.
Yes. Like he said, this question is just a what if.
Let's suppose ZUN did decide to sell the license to another company. So let's get back to the topic.
-
So let's get back to the topic.
I'm curious to know your own thoughts on the question you're asking.
-
I think this is more completely hypothetical, like, "What would Touhou be like if ZUN liked to blaze it instead of drink beer?", which is fine.
What would that be like?
-
I'm curious to know your own thoughts on the question you're asking.
I actually have multiple opinions.
Nintendo. Suppose they knew how to program Spell Cards and complex bullet patterns, they might create some that are ridiculously hard to master. Though that was also assuming that their game consoles have the hardware capabilities for the Cards, as I have never seen them releasing a game for the PC or Mac before.
Nippon Ichi Software (or NIS as the Americans knew it as). Ever noticed how the storyline of most of the Touhou official games are bordering Excuse Plots (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ExcusePlot) that are very short? I think NIS will remake the stories into something more dramatic and acceptable for a fantasy setting, and perhaps introduce RPG spin-offs to the series. However, they might make it so that the series don't have the same protagonists in each installment, like their Atelier series, or Square Enix's Final Fantasy series.
-
It'd probably be a Japanese company, that's all but guaranteed. If Nintendo was to pick it up, even if they were to continue it perfectly it would still end up on 3DS/Wii U, which I can imagine wouldn't be the greatest thing, depending on your opinion.
Sega would be another possibility, and they could feasibly release it on PC. If they were to pick it up theres at least one thing you could say, and that's that their main franchise, Sonic, and Touhou have at least one thing on common, (objectively) great music.
Other options would be stuff like Capcom, Atlus maybe (though that may count under Sega). I can't think of many other ones off the top of my head.
All in all though this sort of thing is just hypothetical, so it's hard to say what would really happen.
-
Why is it that some people like to ruin the point of "what if" questions by saying things like it will never happen and that you shouldn't even think about it? Can't you just go along with what the topic creator said?
So...
Nintendo. :)
-
Why is it that some people like to ruin the point of "what if" questions by saying things like it will never happen and that you shouldn't even think about it? Can't you just go along with what the topic creator said?
I don't think anyone said you shouldn't think about it, but I'm pretty sure the reasons people say it won't happen are A it's very unlikely, and B they don't want it to happen either.
Besides, a "what if" question is completely hypothetical, so if you don't think it'll happen then you don't think it'll happen, simple as. Opinions and all that.
-
I know it's very unlikely that a small name company would get such rights in a case where ZUN just decided to give it out to the highest bidder (which sounds very unlikely unless the situation truly was necessary or such) but I would love to see what Qute would do if they got their hands on the series. Personally I find they've been making the best vertical shoot em' ups in a good while and with their habit of using Yousuke Yasui for the soundtrack of the game combined with the fact he's been doing great Touhou remixes, I think it would be a great combination. As far as I understand, Ginga Force even seems to have a plot (I own the game but I don't understand the Japanese so I dunno if the plot is any good) so I'd like to see how it would turn out.
What happened to Taito anyway? With all the amazing shoot em' up they pulled out, I'm pretty sure they would had been able to do something good with Touhou as well.
-
Taito is a shell of its former self and they have done pretty much nothing significant in the past 15 years. I'm surprised to see them even being brought up.
-
Here's something that would spurr discussion:
What if Touhou was bought by:
- Zynga
- EA Games
- RoosterTeeth (RIP Monty)
-
I don't really know, but I suppose that if it was bought by Atlus, Shinki would play an important role in the plot.
-
Here's something that would spurr discussion:
What if Touhou was bought by:
- Zynga
Browser and Mobile games galore that are both child-friendly, and that'll attract old people.
- EA Games
Explosive Ads. Day One DLCs. Milking Process along with multiple DLCS/Microtransactions. Expect Touhou Online. EXPECT NO STEAM VERSION AT ALL, PC copy can only be purchased through either Origin or an expensive physical retail copy. If the game was bad, expect 10/10 on IGN. Most of all, expect ZUN to not be a part of any of the games after the first few games they make.
- RoosterTeeth (RIP Monty)
They'll just probably do what ZUN already does, but with more "Final Fantasy-Style" cutscenes and battles.
-
I can see why, but does it have to be a video game company ?
-
He didn't specify, I guess I could say that if a non-entertainment company were to buy Touhou, they would have one of the most powerful advertising catches on the planet.
Imagine, Touhou used to advertise mundane things like laundry detergent, furniture and pluming!
-
Imagine, Touhou used to advertise mundane things like laundry detergent, furniture and pluming!
Uh, I can see it. An energy drink advertisement starring Marisa, struggling in a danmaku fight then drinking "energy spark" or something, then coming victorious from the fight, then going about "it's all about firepowah, ze~☆
oh wait, we do have Touhou vending machines ! (http://maidrunner.blogspot.com/2009/10/maid-juice.html)
-
Advertise ZUN-beer and profit. :derp:
-
What if Touhou was bought by Valve? Who else, other than Valve, shares Zun's appreciation for Hats?
-
Good choice. But have you ever accounted for the fact that Valve games are usually very violent and gory? Oh, and let's not forget the realism they put into their games.
-
What if Touhou was bought by Valve?
They'll make two games and stop there.
-
Uh, I can see it. An energy drink advertisement starring Marisa, struggling in a danmaku fight then drinking "energy spark" or something, then coming victorious from the fight, then going about "it's all about firepowah, ze~☆
oh wait, we do have Touhou vending machines ! (http://maidrunner.blogspot.com/2009/10/maid-juice.html)
I just imagined Sakuya starring in adverts for various household products...
Also, http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4pjdOAhIHzI/maxresdefault.jpg (http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4pjdOAhIHzI/maxresdefault.jpg)
-
I don't think anyone said you shouldn't think about it, but I'm pretty sure the reasons people say it won't happen are A it's very unlikely, and B they don't want it to happen either.
Besides, a "what if" question is completely hypothetical, so if you don't think it'll happen then you don't think it'll happen, simple as. Opinions and all that.
The point is that "what if" questions is for one to pretend and have fun with imaginations, so coming into such a kind of topic and saying something like "I don't think this will happen at all" is like ruining a party.
Another suggestion would be Valve, since they made Team Fortress 2, which is generally considered to be "America's Touhou."
EDIT: Didn't realize that people mentioned Valve already...
-
They'll make two games and stop there.
Touhou 2: Episode 2 - Chapter 4
See wat i did thar?
-
Imagine, Touhou used to advertise mundane things like laundry detergent, furniture and pluming!
I'm afraid if any Touhou character tried to sell me anything I would buy it on the spot
-
Imagine, Touhou used to advertise mundane things like laundry detergent, furniture and pluming!
First thing that came to mind was Hong Meiling advertising her own dojo then Sakuya dragging her out of the commercial so she could get back to guarding the mansion.
I feel like if Square Enix bought Touhou they would insert some complicated unending plot to the series.
-
I imagine that under Atlus there'd be more "Embers of Love" type patterns.
-
I don't see a lot of major game companies investing into touhou. There are very few choices.
Nintendo was brought up, but I don't see it happening. Nintendo has a wide range of games, but none of them are particularly japan-o-centric. Pretty much all of Nintendo's IPs are very conservative as far as nationality goes, perhaps Pokemon is the one you'd associate the most with Japan considering the anime behind it. Touhou is very much a widget series, it doesn't fit Big N's style.
NIS makes very widget games, but they primarially make only RPGs. Also, they only really have original IPs, so I don't see them taking Touhou
Atlus sounds like a good choice at first, until you realize they primarily publish games, not develop them. Even if Atlus acquired it, they would only really license it to another studio to develop.
If we're only talking large game companies, my bet goes on SEGA or Square Enix. Both are huge and not afraid to pander only to Japanese audiences with some of their studios. Of course, it'd still be Japan only, and the gameplay would probably be radically altered, but it would work. SE in particular has a business model that goes hand in hand with the content Touhou puts out. Offical music CDs, books, anime, games, merchandise, Square Enix loves to go all out with their products and sell it in every possible manner.
...But actually, I think Touhou is more likely to be picked up by an anime studio. The games are super niche, but the fleshed-out characters and world design would make for a killer app in the animation industry. A Touhou anime would finally make the series mainstream, and the game side of the equation would easily either be dropped, retooled, or licensed out to a smaller company, the latter most option most likely to spawn more games very much still in style with how ZUN makes it. Maybe they'd just give the license to Tasofro to just make more Touhou games.
-
I don't see a lot of major game companies investing into touhou. There are very few choices.
Nintendo was brought up, but I don't see it happening. Nintendo has a wide range of games, but none of them are particularly japan-o-centric. Pretty much all of Nintendo's IPs are very conservative as far as nationality goes, perhaps Pokemon is the one you'd associate the most with Japan considering the anime behind it. Touhou is very much a widget series, it doesn't fit Big N's style.
Shin Onigashima and The Mysterious Murasame Castle are a few of their Japan-centric games.
-
Shin Onigashima and The Mysterious Murasame Castle are a few of their Japan-centric games.
Those are really old examples to be using, and Nintendo hasn't done anything with them except reference they exist since they were released and port them over a couple times, like Nintendo does with absolutely everything.
-
S-E buying it out would be ironic, considering S-E owns Taito these days IIRC.
-
I would see the main problem being that more cash and attention to detail could actually spoil the nice ambiguity of the plot and characters, because right now there is a lot of blank spots for us to fill in to create fanon. I believe that this is one of the reasons why the Touhou fan-base is so creative. We are given the room to speculate and imagine, expanding on the universally accepted base product.
This goes both for designs and story. As much as many people like to hate ZUN's artwork I personally think that guy has really good taste when it comes to patterns and general outfit design. As much as I like the style of Nintendo's games for instance, I think introducing different approaches to cannon Touhou would most likely kill it.
-
NOPE!! I will stop supporting it if it goes under Ubisoft, Microsoft, or EA. Imagine what they could do to chop the Touhou Series all down until it was nothing but a hollow shell...
-
I think it's a safe bet that none of those three companies will have any interest whatsoever in a widget series like Touhou whose only appeal are to Japanese people and associated culture fanatics.
-
If Touhou ever gets braught out by Microsoft i will scream untill Yukari tells me to shut up becasue im disturbing her sleeping :I ether that or i will be like "nope" and just die
-
Well IF Nintendo bought Touhou, they would take different approaches to every new installment of games. They would try and think up of unique mechanics that players would find fun. Story would be the last thing on their minds. Hey, we would finally get to see Reimu in Smash. xD
However, I do not see Nintendo being interested. Also it doesn't fit Nintendo's style imo.
IF Microsoft bought it (Which is unlikely). They would make it ultra realistic with long, cinematic cutscenes, remove most of the characters, change their designs, make it much more western, have a long movie story, and drastically change the mechanics... In other words, it wouldn't be Touhou anymore, only in name.
I personally think NIS would be Touhou's best bet. They share the same theme of demons, monsters etc, and its also an anime style too. They would probably change the game into a SRPG style, and keep the same amount of stages but as 8 chapters per game. They would also redesign some of the characters, and not have Reimu as the protagonist all the time. Also have an added and longer story.
We would see Touhou characters in HD, and have it ported to the PSP.
-
One company I see possible odds on is Nicalis, given their history of obtaining the rights to original doujin games and remaking/rereleasing them.
-
I could see a couple of game companies nabbing a hypothetical license to the Touhou Project:
- Atlus: Atlus is already known for dealing in super-hard Japan-centric games, so Touhou would be no stranger to them. Heck, the MegaTen franchise already deals with similar themes of demons and humans coexisting. Atlus would probably turn the series into a bunch of RPGs instead of a bunch of bullet hell shmups, but I think they'd stay true to the ZUN era in terms of universe and story.
- Degica: This one's a real longshot, but Degica's all about bringing otherwise obscure Japanese games to the masses, including bullet hell STGs like Crimzon Clover and Eschatos. Touhou would be right at home with Degica. I also feel that Degica needs a series to call its own in order for it to get bigger and better, and Touhou would be one hell of a first-party franchise to get started with. This would probably be the company most likely to keep Touhou as a bullet hell shmup series, to boot.
- Platinum Games: If Touhou needs to evolve into a big budget series, I think Platinum would be the best home for it. They already have a ton of cult classics in their catalogue, but I don't think they've done very well in Japan. The sheer marketing power Touhou would definitely be something that would give them a leg up in their home country. Also, would it really hurt to see Touhou become a stylish action series in the vein of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta?
If we're opening this up to anime studios as well, I think that Studio Trigger would be Touhou's best bet. They're unafraid to do quirky stuff and already have experience with work on video games. They'd probably expand on the story, though, which could hurt the fanon aspect of the series. The games would probably be licensed or killed off, too.
-
Oh, and they'd probably also add more male characters in the game.
If this happens, gentlemen, the end of humanity is upon us.
-
If this happens, gentlemen, the end of humanity is upon us.
I wouldn't see what the big fuss would be about. Touhou already had a male boss (Or mid-boss I think?) character in PC98.
As long as they keep the cast majority of girls, adding two or three males as bosses wouldn't hurt.
-
I wouldn't see what the big fuss would be about. Touhou already had a male boss (Or mid-boss I think?) character in PC98.
As long as they keep the cast majority of girls, adding two or three males as bosses wouldn't hurt.
If they're going to add male characters, they either have to be 1) non-humanoid, like Unzan, 2) genderswapped, like Miko, 3) appearing only out of games, like Rinnosuke or 4) part of a generally female character, like Shingyoku.
Humanoid male Touhou characters in games are going to hurt much more than you think they will. Or so says my inner feminazi. BV
-
Or so says my inner feminazi. BV
SJWs kongfirmed
-
I'd personally like to see it picked up by Nintendo (IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN).
But, I'd like to see it released on not only WiiU, N3DS, but also PC. That's a must.
Plus, this increases the chance of Reimu in Smash Bros. Does anyone even comprehend how awesome that would be? Smashes, dashes, tilts, and jabs: All gohei related, except for Up and Down Smashes. Up Smash would be the backflip-kick thing from the fighters.(Sorry I'm bad with attack names.) Down Smash would be Reimu floating a tiny, tiny bit off the ground, and spinning her legs in a circular motion to launch opponents in directions away from her. (Think Shulk's Down Smash.) Neutral B = Homing Amulet, just like in the fighting games. Side B = Kinda like Shiek Neutral B, it would be Persuasion Needle. No charge required. Up B = Weightlessness(I've heard that's what Reimu's flying ability is actually called.) She'd fly in the set direction, kind of like Pit, but slower and more controllable. Down B = That thing from the fighting games, don't remember what it was called. The one where the yellow-tower thing rises up. If it hits the opponent directly in the middle of the top of the tower, it would have an upside-down meteor effect, in which the opponent would be launched up. Final Smash = Fantasy Heaven. Mainly damage dealing, but has a knockback power of about Mario's down-smash at the end "burst" thing, common in Smash Bros.
HOLY FUCK WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO
-
Touhou...
PRESENTED BY "CAVE"
Not much would change really.
...EXCEPT MORE BULLETS!!! :getdown:
-
Touhou...
PRESENTED BY "CAVE"
Not much would change really.
...EXCEPT MORE BULLETS!!! :getdown:
That's assuming they start making good and original STGs again instead of porting what they've already made and making games for phones and tablets. Of course, the recent news about a possible Kickstarter could change all that, but as of right now, I really don't think CAVE would make the best use of the Touhou IP.