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Forum - View topicINTEREST: Is Japan's Fascination with Yo-Kai Watch Over?
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TsukasaElkKite
 Posts: 3960 |
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Interesting. I wonder if this doesn't bode well for the releases that are planned for the U.S and Europe.
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KH91
Posts: 6176 |
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^
I don't even find that to be worth a comparison(More toward US than EU). Well, if YW's popularity is dropping, I wouldn't be surprise since it's popularity caught me by surprise when it started. It had a good run, but I didn't think it'd hold on like Pokemon(different times worldwide). |
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Amara Tenoh
 Posts: 333 |
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It's success in the U.S. and Europe shouldn't be influenced by it's decline in Japan. That being said, it will be tougher for Yo-Kai Watch to compete against Pokémon overseas but we'll see. I'm definitely going to give it a try since it looks interesting. |
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tootbrush
Posts: 230 |
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Seems to happen with every Level-5 franchise. As good as L-5 is at creating them, they're just as good at killing them. :P
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Hoppy800
 Posts: 3331 |
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I'm glad this fad is dying down, now Pokemon can reclaim it's rightful throne.
Level 5 does kill off a lot of series by mobile or entirely too early in it's lifecycle for some reason. |
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Haterater
 Posts: 1727 |
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With Level-5 already moving on to another thing, they even knew it wouldn't last. So probably a smart business decision. I don't really thing it'll do well overseas like a huge success, so I hope they keep their expectation in check. Will get the game though, as I'm looking for something different. Won't be sad if they don't release them all overseas though.
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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I didn't realize Japan's interest in Yōkai Watch would taper that fast. I suppose this is a case of "bad luck on the draw."
Even if Yōkai Watch happens to not fare so well in Japan, the franchise still has at least a fighting chance of succeeding in America and Europe. |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2233 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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Yeah, I think the fact that Yokai Watch is fundamentally a Level 5 product is what is keeping it from extending its run beyond ~2-3 years.
Level 5 has had a number of successful franchises but they've all lasted 2-3 years... Probably because that's the way the company's internal clock is set. Perhaps it's on purpose, to try and prevent being a company dependent on one IP. The anime is still highly entertaining, but a kids anime without toy sales is as good as dirt. |
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Also, the problem that sank the '99 Pokemon craze over here may apply to Japanese kids as well:
You're in the craze at 9-10...But by the time you're 12-13, you see your little brother and his friends playing it, and you wouldn't be caught dead liking it in front of your junior high friends. 
That's why crazes tend to have three year shelf-lives at longest, and/or have to be brought back in ten-year increments, to try and wipe the slate clean about which generation is into it. |
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Blankslate
Posts: 425 Location: Atlanta, GA |
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So if I'm correct, the order of Japanese game fads goes something like this:
Mid 90s - Dragon Quest Late 90s/early 00s - Pokémon Mid 00s/early 10s - Monster Hunter Mid 10s - Yokai Watch |
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Kiyomaro
 Posts: 213 Location: Chicago,Illinois |
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Do you think it might've exploded in popularity a bit too quickly?
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#sukkar
Posts: 120 |
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As bad as this article makes things sound, there are a few things to remember. First, Yokai Watch is still BandaiNamco's overall #2 selling brand, second only to Gundam. In toys alone, Yokai Watch is BandaiNamco's top selling brand and has been for two years straight. There was a significant drop between this year and the last - 552 billion yen to a predicted 300 billion yen in toys this years. (340 for the brand as a whole)
While this sounds bad, I think BandaiNamco and Level-5 are going to try making Yokai Watch stick around. Of the top 5 toy brands, Yokai Watch is the only one younger than 10 years old - Gundam, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Anpanman round out the top five. I think having this fresh blood will help BamCo expand and reach new audiences. My guess is that Yokai Watch loses its top status next year, probably to Kamen Rider (incidentally, the new one is also based on ghosts and such) but will manage to stick around as one of the top sellers for quite some time. If BamCo are smart about it. |
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CheerSong
 Posts: 92 Location: Route 7, Kanto |
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This is exactly what happened. I think L-5 didn't assume it would stick, and then when the anime started airing they had a mega-hit on their hands...and perhaps didn't manage it perfectly. I agree with the author of the article when they say the retail distribution pattern and the lengthy licensing approval process definitely hurt the property's chances at longevity. It all could have (and should have) been handled better. Honestly I think you could tell they weren't expecting Yo-Kai Watch to catch on if you look at the Yo-Kai Watch and Zero-Shiki toys that were released within months of each other. The medal incompatibility reeked of desperation to boost sales, and honestly I thought it came out way too soon. Then again, since the second season wasn't guaranteed, I suppose I can see why they did what they did...but it still felt really rushed, like they expected it to be a one-hit wonder if it did catch on at all. (Luckily the newest Watch is compatible with ALL medals - as they should have been from the start if you ask me!) Even if the kids aren't as crazy about it as they were last year, it seems to have become a fixture in everyday life. I still see kids with the stuff and at event shops (even if it's not in droves) which is honestly pretty standard for character stuff here, so it'll be interesting to see how things play out. |
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Ziko577
Posts: 136 |
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Level-5's name might as be Torch-5 as a lot of great franchises died as quick as they came. Dark Cloud 2 was the death of that series as most people didn't like it nowhere near as much as the first one and it even had no relevance to it as none of the characters come back. Inazuma Eleven was just stupid with kids fighting with soccer (i.e. football in other places) and killing each other over a damn sport! No wonder it fizzled fast as well. Danball Senki had some potential but it was squandered when the anime was made and the games quality dropped significantly when Wars came out. Most of the games were re-releases with more units and minor changes sans the sequel. Who thought as SRPG was a good idea? Mind you, this game was marketed toward children and children don't really play SRPGs that much as they're more difficult with the mechanics and such. That decision is what led to the death of the franchise and sales figures can back that up. At least the model kits were fun to play around with. 
Yo-kai Watch's fall was inevitable as I can see as too many decisions were made regarding the games and merchandise. Too many games (as of this post at least 9 games exist but some are spinoffs & arcade games), dumb design choices with no compatibility with the watches, and the anime's kinda lame as well with little to no plot and to think it'll be dubbed here soon. I cringe at the changes made to it.
I've really grown to hate this company for their practices because some of these franchises I liked a lot and shame on them for killing them because some stockholders weren't getting their share of dough. Speaking of which, anyone even care about the upcoming Snack World game? I sure as hell don't since the thing selling it is probable keychains which will be high as a kite I bet. |
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Ziko577
Posts: 136 |
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That seems to be the average amount of time for a lot of their franchises except Layton which lasted at least a dozen games. One thing I've noticed is that the releases for games is really short in between them. |
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