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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, 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 blueprints EU arrival for spring
Distributor Zen United and publisher Marvelous AQL confirmed Rune Factory 4 is coming to Europe, assembling a spring 2014 release window for the farming sim/RPG hybrid. The news comes on the day Rune Factory 4 is out in North America, courtesy of XSEED. The latest in the line of Harvest Moon spinoffs proved a hit in Japan last summer, selling 150,000 copies by the end of September and becoming the best-selling game in the series.
Rune Factory 4 is coming to Europe
Rune Factory 4 will start up a European production line thanks to Zen United, the same distributor that handled the continental carriage of Harvest Moon: A New Beginning and Persona 4 Arena. Zen director Geraint Evans didn't disclose any details in an interview with JPGames.de, but an official announcement in the "very near future" may produce more info. As for North America, the 3DS agricultural sim/RPG is due sometime this fall. In August publisher XSeed said it "could be looking at a late September or October release," although late September is nearly upon us and a release date hasn't cropped up yet.
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.
