Video Game Fans vs. Publishers

The Internet has built a solid bridge between the people who play games and the people who make them: For better or for worse, it’s pretty easy to get a hold of the ladies and gentlemen who make our favorite games, whether through email, Twitter, Facebook, or blogs. Even the biggest companies have one or more “community managers” or public relations (PR) managers who carry messages from the bottom to the top and back again. Either way, if we want to let a studio know what we thought of a game, we have several options–and, for the most part, when we use those options, we feel like we’ve been heard.

There are always big exceptions, however. The process of sending feedback and suggestions to Nintendo hasn’t changed much since the company first began making and distributing games in the ’80s. In other words, communicating with Nintendo sometimes makes fans feel like they’re banging a gong in Zeus’s temple in hopes of catching the God King’s attention for a minute to implore him, “We like abundant harvests, could you see your way to giving us one of those?”

There are positives and negatives to Nintendo’s aloof nature. Nintendo arguably knows how to conduct itself without fan intervention: It makes great games, innovative systems, and has a squeaky reputation. On the other hand, fans often feel as if their demands are ignored: Niche Japanese games tend to stay corralled in Japan while Western audiences have to make do with pressing their noses up against the windowpane and pining.

That’s why a group of Japanese RPG (JRPG) fans put together “Operation Rainfall,” an internet-based campaign that aims to bring three Wii RPGs, Last Story, Xenoblade, and Pandora’s Tower to North America. As its name suggests, Operation Rainfall is about using the month of July to patter Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime with written requests to bring the games to North America. Participants are being encouraged to contact Nintendo’s Twitter and Customer Service, too. Even Amazon pre-orders are being utilized to show Nintendo that North America wants these games.

A case of fans being obnoxious, maybe? Sure. But as far as Nintendo is concerned, the noise is thoroughly necessary. There’s an old saying about squeaky wheels and grease that holds a lot of truth. If fans don’t speak up, the only notable Wii releases that will be keeping us company until the birth of the Wii U in 2012 are Kirby and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Operation Rainfall echoes another huge push that was organized some years ago by Nintendo fans who wanted a 2006 Game Boy Advance game called Mother 3 receive a translation. Mother 3 is the critically acclaimed sequel to Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan), a Super Nintendo game that received a heavy localization effort by Nintendo in 1995, but sold badly and was under-appreciated for years. Despite demand, Nintendo has even refused to bring the game to the Virtual Console and has not stated why.

Mother 3 has since received a fan translation, which Nintendo quietly allows to exist–so far. But the company’s answers for turning its back on localizing niche games are typically thin at best. Fans aren’t granted reasons beyond, “Nintendo has no plans to release [Game] at this time.”

It’s not hard to guess why Nintendo didn’t spend time and money localizing Mother 3 so close to the end of the Game Boy Advance’s lifespan. There is even a great deal of speculation as to why the company hasn’t let Earthbound grace the Wii Virtual Console. But the games that are targeted by Operation Rainfall have already received English translations and are hitting Europe later this year. North American fans, however, had been told (albeit second-hand) that Nintendo was gearing up the “No Plans” dance for Xenoblade and its kin.

For three games that are translated and localized, for three games that have been well-received critically and financially in Japan, and for three games that will greatly extend the worth of the hungry, hungry Wii (which is, of course, region locked), turning away North American audiences is not acceptable. Sometimes fans have to speak up and say, “Hey, we’re here. We still support the Wii, even if Nintendo is quickly abandoning it.”

Sometimes even Zeus looked down from Olympus when the mortals below kicked up enough of a fuss. At the time of this writing, Nintendo has thanked its fans for their support, and has teased that an announcement is upcoming. Will the news be good? We can’t say, but even if Nintendo confirms it won’t be releasing Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower in North America, maybe all this fan intervention will at least be responsible for pulling a rare thing from Nintendo: A reason why.

About Nadia Oxford
Nadia is a freelance writer living in Toronto. She played her first game at four, decided games were awesome, and has maintained her position since. She writes for 1UP.com, Slide to Play, GamePro and other publications, and is About.com’s Guide to the Nintendo DS.

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