RPGs are more labor-intensive than open-world games for the same duration of gameplay, by a fairly significant margin (that's why open-world games are so popular!), but there's a backlog a thousand games long of very good jRPGs.
Also very very hard to get traction. When it comes to small productions, there's a total glut of options. If maybe 20% of the people who hear about a new Final Fantasy actually wind up buying it, it's tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Even if 90% of the people who hear about a specific fun indie RPG buy it, it's maybe a hundred grand.
Very true, but good writing and good mechanics are tough to pull off for an engaging JRPG.
Open-world games just need the base Unreal asset store packs and they work most of the time. JRPGs need good character development and a solid combat system that you can grind but isn't frustrating. That requires creative ingenuity and a lot of people simply do not have it or -- in the case of working for a publisher -- are prevented from exploring it.
RPGs are more labor-intensive than open-world games for the same duration of gameplay, by a fairly significant margin (that's why open-world games are so popular!), but there's a backlog a thousand games long of very good jRPGs.
Plenty of classics that aged well to pick from.
I'm currently playing a translation patch of SNES Tales of Phantasia.
Also very very hard to get traction. When it comes to small productions, there's a total glut of options. If maybe 20% of the people who hear about a new Final Fantasy actually wind up buying it, it's tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Even if 90% of the people who hear about a specific fun indie RPG buy it, it's maybe a hundred grand.
Very true, but good writing and good mechanics are tough to pull off for an engaging JRPG.
Open-world games just need the base Unreal asset store packs and they work most of the time. JRPGs need good character development and a solid combat system that you can grind but isn't frustrating. That requires creative ingenuity and a lot of people simply do not have it or -- in the case of working for a publisher -- are prevented from exploring it.