Why the huge gap between the release times of Smash 3DS?

[pupNapoleon]

Oh, that was much more clear.

 

[Gidy]

How do you explain other games then? Is the only reason for not having a closer or worldwide release due to money issues? Nintendo is sitting on 25 years of profits, so that would be mighty greedy of them.

 

[Shariq]

Translation? Since Smash Bros has so much content and as a result a lot of text. It can take time to make sure everything is translated correctly from Japanese to other languages.

 

[Gidy]

Translation? Since Smash Bros has so much content and as a result a lot of text. It can take time to make sure everything is translated correctly from Japanese to other languages.

Shouldn't a game be finished before it's handed off to ESRB?

 

[Shariq]

Shouldn't a game be finished before it's handed off to ESRB?

Well the game is finished (Japanese version). They probably sent the ESRB parts of the game that are finished being translated into english.

 

[Bassoonist]

A month's difference is really nothing.

I know it doesn't feel that way, but I'm just remembering Animal Crossing New Leaf. The game was teased to us so many times only to disappear back into nothingness for months, and then Japan finally gets a November release date - we get a June of the next year release date.

That was killer. Even though New Leaf was objectively and by far the best effort ever put into an Animal Crossing game, the way they showed it and then didn't show it, and then Japan getting it WAY early worked to ruin the hype. Even still, there are games that have had worse release differences (Fire Emblem Awakening). Either way, this is NOTHING. I can't even complain.

 

[KaZe_DaRKWIND]

Shouldn't a game be finished before it's handed off to ESRB?

It needs all content but not necessarily finished. Bug-testing, Fine-tuning, and Translation could easily still be ongoing. There are several reasons that the West version comes out 20 days later but unless they say it themselves, we will never know.

 

[Gidy]

It needs all content but not necessarily finished. Bug-testing, Fine-tuning, and Translation could easily still be ongoing. There are several reasons that the West version comes out 20 days later but unless they say it themselves, we will never know.

As said before, there is no legitimate confirmed reason for this gap. *sigh*

 

[thesmark]

Wait times between JP and the other territories in previous games:

N64: 95 days for NA, 302 days for the EU
Melee: 12 days for NA, 184 days for the EU
Brawl: 37 days for NA, 147 days dor the EU
3DS: 20 days for NA, 20 days for the EU

 

[Renji64]

I don't get why this wasn't a worldwide release instead they know everyone has been wanting a smash game since the 3ds launch and wiiu launch.

 

[Xiaphas]

Welcome to the frustration U.S. Monster Hunter fans are all too familiar with.

 

[TheZapp]

Honestly im gonna be watching streams and gameplay until the release and im actually hyped for september 13 even though I dont own I jpn 3ds

 

[R0Y]

Maybe a slowdown in production of the cards or something? Then again, X/Y didn't have that problem.

Really though, Hyrule Warriors is being delayed over a month probably more so it doesn't get released in August more than anything related to the localizations.

I think it's because they can and they want it to be a big holiday game, so they release it in the fall season, a week after Hyrule Warriors.

 

[Mario & Sonic Guy]

My best guess for the longer wait time for US and Europe is so that if any issues are encountered with the Japanese version, patches can be developed before the international release.

 

[R0Y]

My best guess for the longer wait time for US and Europe is so that if any issues are encountered with the Japanese version, patches can be developed before the international release.

Hasn't happened for other Nintendo titles and I don't see other publishers ever using that reason. Lots of publishers release buggy games that are later patched down the line, but that shouldn't affect just one region, their home region, and cause a 3 week delay.

 

[Xenesis]

I like how a 3 week gap is considered 'huge'. Huge should involve a numerator of 'months', not 'weeks'.

This is genuinely the shortest gap between Japanese and USA (and notably, European!) releases that Smash has ever had. The logistics of releasing internationally normally necessitate these fairly short delays. Considering most game cartridges are not manufactured in the country of sale, it takes some reasonable amount of time to ship them internationally. Manufacturing in China and Japan takes less time to get to Japan than it does to Europe or America.

I'd bet money that in Pokemon's case had they not been trying for an international simultaneous release, the Japanese version would have come out about a month or two before the November release date because of simple logistics.

 

[R0Y]

I like how a 3 week gap is considered 'huge'. Huge should involve a numerator of 'months', not 'weeks'.

This is genuinely the shortest gap between Japanese and USA (and notably, European!) releases that Smash has ever had. The logistics of releasing internationally normally necessitate these fairly short delays. Considering most game cartridges are not manufactured in the country of sale, it takes some reasonable amount of time to ship them internationally. Manufacturing in China and Japan takes less time to get to Japan than it does to Europe or America.

I'd bet money that in Pokemon's case had they not been trying for an international simultaneous release, the Japanese version would have come out about a month or two before the November release date because of simple logistics.

True, it's hard to bring up the Pokemon example every time, that was a rare and unexpected simultaneous launch with every language available on every release. Even this year's Pokemon isn't releasing at the same time everywhere or doing that.

Every 3DS game says Made in Japan, whereas Wii U games will say Made in USA or Assembled in Germany (no Made in Japan though, unlike 3DS) for NA and PAL copies, respectively.

There's no getting around the costs of flash memory, especially the high-grade chips Nintendo uses, compared to a disc.

Makes me think that they have multiple disc mastering plants, probably made it easier for MK8 to release so very close everywhere. It's also why I think Smash U will release much closer together if the game is not delayed until next year.

This is telling:

One Million Wii U downloads

• Disk Case: Approx. 77-ton reduction of plastic
• Printing materials: Approx. 19-ton reduction of paper materials
• This equates to the reduction of 880 tons of CO2, generated from manufacturing and transportation through to disposal. This amount is equivalent to the total CO2 emissions of 174 average Japanese family units per year.

One Million Nintendo 3DS downloads

• Card Case: Approx. 45-ton reduction of plastic
• Printing materials: Approx. 8-ton reduction of paper materials
• This equates to the reduction of 1640 tons of CO2, generated from manufacturing, and transportation through to disposal. This amount is equivalent to the total CO2 emissions of 324 average Japanese family units per year.

(Calculation Method/Conditions)

• * Consumed power while the hardware is in use is not included.
• * Manufacturing site and distributed market: Japan

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/csr/en/report2014/08/index.html#product

So even for Japan, shipping 3DS cards, despite less packaging and printing materials, creates far more pollution due to their manufacturing and shipping. Magnify the costs inherit in that pollution for shipping to the west, and there's usually going to be some delay.

 

[Gidy]

True, it's hard to bring up the Pokemon example every time, that was a rare and unexpected simultaneous launch with every language available on every release. Even this year's Pokemon isn't releasing at the same time everywhere or doing that.

Every 3DS game says Made in Japan, whereas Wii U games will say Made in USA or Assembled in Germany (no Made in Japan though, unlike 3DS) for NA and PAL copies, respectively.

There's no getting around the costs of flash memory, especially the high-grade chips Nintendo uses, compared to a disc.

Makes me think that they have multiple disc mastering plants, probably made it easier for MK8 to release so very close everywhere. It's also why I think Smash U will release much closer together if the game is not delayed until next year.

This is telling:


http://www.nintendo.co.jp/csr/en/report2014/08/index.html#product

So even for Japan, shipping 3DS cards, despite less packaging and printing materials, creates far more pollution due to their manufacturing and shipping. Magnify the costs inherit in that pollution for shipping to the west, and there's usually going to be some delay.

This. This has changed my perspective of worldwide releases.

 

[TryHardOliver]

It's only three weeks. Could be worse :/

 

[DairunCates]

As has been suggested, translations and bug-testing with the translations take time. In cases where a game got a simultaneous release, it's highly likely that the Japanese release was actually DELAYED to get higher day 1 sales and for marketing reasons that are gonna be unique to each game (in Pokemon's case, you want a LOT of people on the Global Trade on Day 1). So, it's less likely that the North American release was delayed 20 days so much as the Japanese release wasn't because Japan is probably as excited about this one as we are.

EDIT: And Roy brings up a FANTASTIC point about the shipping of physical materials and such. So, there's definitely that too.