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XSEED restocking copies of Rune Factory 4 for North America
If you've recently had some difficulty tracking down the part dungeon raider, part agricultural simulator Rune Factory 4, publisher XSEED Entertainment has some good news for you: The shortage is temporary. A post on XSEED's Facebook page explains that RF4 is selling "well beyond our expectations, so we're working as quickly as possible to restock physical copies." The post also thanks fans for making the game a "major success." While waiting on a restock might be annoying, at least North American fans were spared from getting their hopes up for nothing. In Europe, Rune Factory 4 was planned to be published by MarvelousAQL, but the release was canceled in January. At the time, Marvelous stated that securing RF4's release for Europe was "not possible to do."
Rune Factory 4 isn't coming to Europe after all
The European production line for Rune Factory 4 churned to a stop this morning, after publisher MarvelousAQL canceled the game for the continent. The first 3DS entry in the Harvest Moon spin-off series was due in Europe this spring, having already been released in Japan and North America. Of course, that announcement came before the bankruptcy and closure of RF4 developer Neverland. "We regret to inform you that the European release of Rune Factory 4 for Nintendo 3DS has been canceled," reads a MAQL Europe statement on distributor Zen United's Rice Digital site. "While MarvelousAQL has made every effort to secure the title's release for this territory, it is, unfortunately, not possible to do so at this time. MAQL and MAQL Europe would like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm for their European releases. Please look forward to announcements on new MAQL titles over the coming months." We've reached out to MAQL Europe for more info. As for the Rune Factory series, there's been no news since Neverland's closure in November. Beforehand, MAQL series producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto exclaimed RF4 performed well enough to greenlight RF5. After the closure, Hashimoto said (via Siliconera), "As of now, it'll still remain a secret as to what kind of title we'll be releasing next, but I can say that the staff members are still doing great."
Rune Factory, Lufia developer Neverland Co. to file for bankruptcy
Rune Factory and Lufia series developer Neverland Co. has ceased operations and will file for bankruptcy soon, the studio revealed on its website. Siliconera reports that Neverland's statement cites recent "changes in the business environment" as one of the studio's difficulties. Attempts to secure funding for Neverland's future development have been unsuccessful. The news follows a statement in August from Yoshifumi Hashimoto, a producer with Rune Factory 4's publisher, Marvelous AQL. Weeks after its release, Hashimoto stated that RF4 had performed well enough to "greenlight a sequel." Hashimoto also posted on Marvelous AQL's blog for RF4 after Neverland announced its closure, teasing that while the publisher's next title will "remain a secret," the staff members are doing well.
Rune Factory 4 clocks in next month
Rune Factory 4 will arrive in a week's time, having come through a protracted quality assurance check. Publisher XSEED made sure everything was up to scratch before dating the 3DS game for October 1, when it will be available at retail and on the eShop for $40. The game received a warm reception in Japan, shifting 150,000 copies within a few months to become the series' best seller. Developer Neverland will hope to build on that when the farming-adventuring hybrid comes North America and Europe.
Neverland Online introduces guild hall system
Second icon to the right, and straight on till morning, or so the log-in instructions for Neverland Online go. For fans of the MMO, OPI Games is pleased to announce a new guild hall system that not only offers housing, but a communal focus for building the structure. Guilds will need to work together to complete three different types of quests to contribute to their guild activity, which may then be used to increase the size and function of the guild hall. Ordinary quests are free to pick up, and require the standard "kill 10 rats" objectives that MMO players are used to doing. If guildies want to increase their activity levels, they can fork over silver and gold for Important and Mystery quests, respectively, for a bigger bump in contributions. Once the guild hall is upgraded enough, Neverland Online players can purchase gear from the guild mall that they can't find anywhere else. The guild hall system comes on the heels of a whole slew of game updates that landed last month.
Rune looks like a lady
With only a few weeks left before the North American release of Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (5/1), developer Neverland Co. has announced a sequel to its farming sim and RPG hybrid. The latest issue of Famitsu has screenshots for the follow-up, and they show a remarkable amount of improvement to the original's graphics. It's still too early to call the redhead protagonist's gender, but our money's on the character being a guy. You can never tell these days, what with all the effeminate farmhands running around. Let us know what you think -- is he one of the dudes? Or is she the princess of Cootie Town? Check past the jump for the Rune Factory 2 magazine scans and a full profile shot of the androgynous hero.
Final Fantasy III & Rune Factory go head-to-head in Japan
On August 24, Final Fantasy III and Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari (Harvest Moon spinoff) will be released in Japan fo DS. While FFIII certainly has the brand edge, both titles look to boost the DS's credibility as a viable RPG platform. Famitsu recently published its reviews for the two games, suggesting that FFIII is slightly superior: Final Fantasy III (Square Enix): 9/8/9/8 - 34/40* Rune Factory (Marvelous Interactive): 8/9/7/9 - 33/40 Keep in mind that, back in March, Children of Mana scored even higher than FFIII, earning a 36/40, and will be released in the US on October 30. FFIII will land stateside in November (hopefully). Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari has not been confirmed for release outside of Japan, but Harvest Moon DS is scheduled for September 12. *C3 News notes that Famitsu's score for the original FFIII (NES) was 35/40.
