SNK Execs On Game Piracy, Sony Approval Issues

Thanks to SPOnG.com for its interview with SNK's Yoshihito Koyama and Shinya Morishita about the veteran developer/publisher, with topics including the death of the classic Neo Geo MVS cartridge system ("There is no reason why the system could not be used now and in the future... we have not been held back by the hardware platform we use. The main problem is the pirates"), and the scale of the piracy that prompted it ("We released King of Fighters 2003 in Japan. Within two days we were seeing copied versions of our [cartridge] from China hitting the open market across Asia... Our game [ROMs] have also been spread across the Internet, another reason why enhanced hardware technology will help us.") Eurogamer also has another SNK interview, similarly conducted on the occasion of SNK's European publishing deal with Ignition, which talks PlayStation 2 game approval issues, mentioning: "With Sony you have to think about SCEA [Sony America] approval because they don't like 2D games, but SCEE [Sony Europe], they accept 2D games for release, but SCEA say 'no, they must be 2 in 1', or something like this."

Re:Pride and Prejudice

[bear pimp]

Of course 3D games are better! they have an extra D! I'm not going to pay the same price for a game that has one less D in it!!!

This mentality amongst (particularly young) gamers drives me nuts. I have nephews who won't even play a game if it was released last year. If a game is good, it doesn't stop being good over time.

Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo

[Lonesmurf]

When a game (JUST THE GAME) costs $200, you can bet that people will pirate them. Nevermind the hardware. If there is demand for something, there will always be a % that will pay for it, a % that will not and a % that will steal it. Price point is all about making sure those %'s are reasonable.

$50 a game is expensive, but reasonable. No?

-rami

Re:Pride and Prejudice

[hibiki_r]

I am impressed by your high game quality standards. Viewtiful Joe has to be a pretty bad game to get a weak 92% in Gamerankings [gamerankings.com].This clearly indicates that the game is no good.Sony's US refusal to distribute VJ had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the game is a 2D side scroller, as TFA says.

I guess somebody will have to tell the guys at Capcom that if they want to be able to sell their PS2 games in NA they better start learning from the companies that made Big Motha Truckers [gamerankings.com] and Army Men:Green Rogue [gamerankings.com]

Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo

[supabeast!]

I agree wholeheartedly! I have purchased plenty of SNK games for non-SNK systems where the cost was reasonable, but at ~$500 for the Neo Geo system and $150-$250 for each game, I have never been in a position to afford SNK's native stuff. Anyone at SNK who thinks that piracy, and not price, is the problem is an idiot-which explains why they went under and had to be bought out by Sammy.