Topic: Operation Rainfall Enters Phase Two

[NWR_Josh]

Bring the rain. 

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/27436

Operation Rainfall, a coalition of gamers trying to bring The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora’s Tower to north American shores, is currently trying to start Phase Two to get Nintendo’s attention, as well as sending Satoru Iwata an open letter.

Phase Two of Operation Rainfall revolves around Xenoblade Chronicles and its release in Europe. Everyone is encouraged to pre-order and buy the game the minute it comes out in Europe while North Americans help in their own way.

In the press release it is stated: “. . .as part of Phase Two we want to encourage everyone to make a single Virtual Console purchase on your Wii system. We specifically ask that as many as possible download “Final Fantasy (NES)” on the date of August 19, 2011 (to coincide with the Xenoblade Chronicles’ European launch date). Final Fantasy costs 500 Nintendo points and is published by Nintendo.”

Operation Rainfall hopes that this will further show Nintendo how far their fans will go. If gamers want to help elsewhere, they can send a letter to the Nintendo of America offices between August 13 and 17 asking for the games to comes to North America. Hopefully, all the letters will arrive on August 19. 

In the open letter to Iwata Operation Rainfall first praises the President of Nintendo’s honor and tact in apologizing about the 3DS sales. As the letter continues on they again remind Iwata that Operation Rainfall isn’t just trying to bring the games over to North American shores, but they also intend to help out with advertisement and distribution. 

To follow Operation Rainfall, please visit their website at http://oprainfall.blogspot.com/

[PetariJ]

Does anyone know how many people are involved in this currently?

[Oblivion]

I would if I hadn't already downloaded FF1 on the VC. Damn. I guess I can settle for a letter.

[Chocobo_Rider]

hmmm, I was all for wasting stamps and envelopes and little plastic tchotchkies, but since I already own FF1 on my NES I don't feel like burning $5 to make a point.

hmmm, I'll figure out something ...

Here are my July tchotchkies that Reggie surely has on his desk right now:
http://www.nintemple.com/images/oprain000.jpg

[broodwars]

All buying Final Fantasy 1 on the VC tells Nintendo is that you want really crappy, archaic RPGs on the system.  If you're going to have people buy RPGs on the VC, it'd be better for them to buy Chrono Trigger, FF VI, or Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.  But I guess those folks already bought those games.

I suppose if it's come to this that means that Operation Rainfall has probably failed.  Hopefully, these games sell well in Europe to encourage NoA to get its act together.

[Enner]

I assume Operation Rainfall pegged down Final Fantasy I because it was the cheapest JRPG on the Wii they could think of. I hope it is acceptable to the plan if people pick a different JRPG on Virtual Console.

[BeautifulShy]

I personally think they picked Final Fantasy because other then Dragon Quest it was one of the first RPGs that really made people notice RPGs and us buying it will make Nintendo know that we want RPGs here in the west. The game that would make sense if it was on the VC would be Xenosaga since it is basically a spiritual predecessor to Xenoblade.However the system it is on isn't supported on the VC.

Also Final Fantasy was made by the developer that made The Last Story so that ties in with the whole Operation Rainfall project.

[Mop it up]

I don't think Nintendo would make the Final Fantasy connection either. There are a lot of things to be interpreted from its sales increasing, including simple nostalgia for Final Fantasy, a long-running and sporadically popular series.

[the asylum]

Now watch as NOA completely ignores this as well

[Shaymin]

It does give a Club Nintendo survey, in which you can mention that you want to see other games like it. Like say, Xenoblade/Last Story/Pandora.

Of course, I've mentioned that in every CN survey I've done for the last, oh, year...

[AV]

i think this is weak. They should protest outside of Nintendo HQ and Nintendo World store. Get media attention, talk to investors in Wall Street.

[Chocobo_Rider]

...They should protest outside of Nintendo HQ and Nintendo World store. Get media attention ...

I'm not sure if "protest" is the word/action I would go with, but something along the lines of a public demonstration at those locations might really be something!

... anyone in the area of either?

[UncleBob]

A suggestion - those who want to try this particular form of "protest", yet have already purchased Final Fantasy on the VC - why not gift it to someone(s) else?

[Shaymin]

...They should protest outside of Nintendo HQ and Nintendo World store. Get media attention ...

I'm not sure if "protest" is the word/action I would go with, but something along the lines of a public demonstration at those locations might really be something!

... anyone in the area of either?

Maybe we can get these guys to go over after they're done going for Half Life 3. It's in the same city, after all.

Of course, Reggie won't be as accommodating as Gabe.

[Enner]

Oh darn. I bought and downloaded Final Fantasy 3 (6) two days early. Shoot.

[marty]

This is really, really stupid.  Giving money to a company that has showed ZERO interest in serving its customers is pathetic.  If you have to resort to bribery, you are being given a big **** you by those you're bribing.  There is ZERO risk to Nintendo to release this game in NA.  It's NOT about money, it's about YOU.  Nintendo is saying **** YOU.  They don't want the Wii to be popular because YOU already bought one.  They want YOU to buy a 3ds.  It's not about what YOU want to buy from Nintendo, it's about what Nintendo wants YOU to buy.

Say **** you, Nintendo.  Don't buy Skyward Sword.  Don't buy Kirby.  Don't buy anything from the VC or WiiWare (hahah).  Don't buy a 3DS.  Don't buy anything until they release the games they've ALREADY MADE and REFUSE to sell to YOU.  I call this plan, Operation Show Some Self Respect.  It's time to stop being a fan-boy.  It gets YOU NOTHING.

[TJ Spyke]

You need to calm down marty, publishers don't have to release every game in every region. All publishers have games only released in some regions. I didn't see you complaining when they didn't release that Eyeshield 21 football game back in 2007, or that Europe and Japan didn't get Excitebots: Trick Racing, etc. You are only hurting yourself by not getting future Nintendo games. I, and millions of others, will continue buying games we want. I am a little disappointed that they haven't confirmed a North American release for those 3 games, but I won't deprive myself of games I expect to be good because of it.

[marty]

Calm? har har.    I'm plenty calm about Nintendo.  I have zero passion for that company, these days.  That's the problem.  It's up to me, not Nintendo, to decide what I should purchase.  It's their job to make and sell games.

Can you give any reason that a finished game, sold on cheap media, should not come out in the territory where the Wii has been an overwhelming success? 

And I'm only hurting Nintendo by not buying games I would otherwise buy.  I'm not impatient.  If, in a few years, I'm curious about Skyward Sword or Kirby, I'm sure I can pick them up used.  Nintendo's ****ty treatment of it's customers has made really sapped all my enthusiasm for their games.

[TJ Spyke]

You are not hurting Nintendo by not buying a game. Nintendo has not been shitty towards anyone, and it was a business decision. If they don't think the game will be profitable, then why release it? Companies (especially publicly traded ones) are in the business to make money, THAT is their job. If they don't think it will be profitable to release a game in a region, then it would be stupid to release the game there just because a small group of people want it. You are free to buy or not buy what you want, but you act like Nintendo killed your parents by not releasing some niche games here.

[Enner]

Say **** you, Nintendo.  Don't buy Skyward Sword.  Don't buy Kirby.  Don't buy anything from the VC or WiiWare (hahah).  Don't buy a 3DS.  Don't buy anything until they release the games they've ALREADY MADE and REFUSE to sell to YOU.  I call this plan, Operation Show Some Self Respect.  It's time to stop being a fan-boy.  It gets YOU NOTHING.

Ah, but I already bought FAST: Racing League from WiiWare. And I really like what I've played so far.

And I want to play Kirby Returns to Dreamland and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword too. But I also have a weird aversion to buying used. Aaahhh!

[marty]

How many copies would Nintendo need to sell to break even on manufacturing? 

Lets say they manufacture 10k since it's so niche and that's all they could ever sell in a zillion years.
Setting up glass masters is negligible cost at this point
DVD and Case  $1.50 a unit
40 page full color manual  $0.50 a unit
so 20k to print 10k units--and this estimate is absurdly high, I might add.

at $50 a game that's 400 copies until they cover manufacturing costs... They already have the storage and facilities set up to house and ship the discs around but even if that took $40 off the top, that's only 2000 copies!  This is clearly not a financial decision.  Atlus brings over all sorts of niche titles and does well for themselves--and, last I heard, ds carts were around $7 a piece and those games aren't selling for $50 a copy.

The GAME is already made.  It cost MILLIONS of dollars to make that game.  It would less than 1% of development cost to make this game available to NA and there is ZERO financial risk selling it in NA.  Will sales of this game cover development costs?  I don't know but that money has already been spent and there is a zero percent chance of recouping any costs incurred by not releasing it.

[TJ Spyke]

You don't know the cost to release it here. You assume you do. There are also other costs involved. There is financial risk in releasing it here. There are signs they may release it here, but you act like it would basically be free money to release it here.

[marty]

Price out how much it costs for things to get duplicated.  NOA is a big ****ing company. they can house 10k extra units.  They can ship 10k extra units.  Like I said, even if they were making $10 a unit, it's profit after they sell 2000 copies.  They sold Wii Music.  They can sell these games.  This is not a financial decision.  It's free money to release this game in NA.

[TJ Spyke]

They expected Wii Music to sell well, it didn't. Add in additional costs like getting the game rated (about $2,500), marketing, etc. They have had a couple games bomb and sell less than 10K. It's a financial decision. Even if they thought they could make a small profit, it's not enough.

[marty]

If Nintendo thinks there's risk (even though they spent millions making a game that they thought wouldn't sell) they could sell the publishing rights.  Atlus would put out this game in a heart-beat (I believe a they even offered to).  Nintendo would get money from Atlus up front and money with every sale from licensing.  Nintendo doesn't want this game in NA.  This isn't a financial decision.

If this was like Starfox 2, where the game was done but they hadn't manufactured it and it had a newer FX chip and was a cartridge and weren't releasing it anywhere--yeah, I could understand.  But this game is appearing everywhere but NA.