itch.io

Congrats on a successful release! And thanks for an even better game~!

Hi Vazor, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Could you contact us so we can discuss directly? Contact us at contact@mugen-creations.com. I'll go over what our options are :).

Thanks! 

Hi Roman,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. While your game being able to support FOVE would be nice, it's not mandatory for all cases. Could you contact us at contact@mugen-creations.com so we can discuss other options?

Thanks!

Taylor

Hi EgoAnt,
I believe this could be a viable option - I think the key deciding factor would be the quality of how it is at release - if it's quite polished, it could probably go through without an issue. Let's chat one on one to go into more detail. contact@mugen-creations.com

Hi Slin,
Well, it seems like you've done your research. Correct, it doesn't have tracked controllers, but your eyes can lock onto things... so you could have it so that your eyes lock on to the ball, then you press a button on the controller to swing the racket - but yeah... it probably wouldn't be the same experience...

Think you can think out of the box for this one? If not, we can always go with it as is - and just promote it through the other areas I have planned. Can you contact me at contact@mugen-creations.com so we can discuss this a bit more?

Thanks!

I just want to make it more apparent - that you don't have to have a VR game or your VR game doesn't have to support FOVE. The deal we have does require some of those games, but the kind of exposure we're getting will expand broader than just FOVE based VR games. 

With that said, let the game topics commence! :)

http://jp.ign.com/games/18925/news/itchio
So one of the first steps to getting itch.io recognized by Japan is to break into the Japanese media. With this announcement we've proven that itch.io is serious about Japan so we're a few steps closer. Once we get some of the publishers games out there, then we'll start making bigger splashes - and then hopefully Itch will start to be as common as Steam (Which still isn't super common, but it's getting there :).)

We have 3 headsets for dev testing - so if you want to work with us we can help in that sense. FOVE also apparently supports Unreal, so you should be good there. Email us at contact@mugen-creations.com if you want to go into a bit more detail about the workflow :).

We're looking to get any and all games in front of Japanese people, so to answer your question, no - not just VR content. Email us at contact@mugen-creations.com and we can go into a bit more detail :).

Yeah, but this partnership goes a bit deeper. Of course VR content will get a bit more of a push - but the arrangement I have made puts itch.io's platform as a whole in front of many many people, so having content FOVE ready isn't mandatory.

Yes, that'd be fine - can you email me at contact@mugen-creations so we can work out the details? :D Thanks!

I didn't know that about Taiwan! Very interesting - anyway, yes! Looking forward to our discussion there :). Cheers!

Hi RmxXabes - Yeah, the FOVE uses your eyes mostly - so it looks to be prefect. Could you email me at contact@mugen-creations.com - we can discuss possibilities more then :). Thanks!

Was great talking to you today :). Cheers!

Hi Runevision,
From what I was able to find out,  the controllers are tied to the headset, so you'd have to rely on other controllers - like the xbox 360 or your eyes for this particular headset. We're aware not all games would be able to work with this limitation so we're trying to find out alternative solutions. I'll post back once I find out more.

I'm in Japan - so JST - or https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=time+in+japan - We have staff that's in the US too, so we can adjust accordingly. Let me know ^^

Hi~

I mean, there's probably a lot of questions you have, and I'd like to discuss them. Like, who we are, what we're trying to do, what we'll need from you etc. So first, I'd like to set up a voice chat, and we can go from there. (If a voice chat isn't something you'd like to do, we can always do a text chat or something ^^.

Hi MSFX, thanks for reaching out. Could you post about your game here? (just to keep things in one place.)  https://itch.io/board/134852/games Also, email us at contact@mugen-creations.com so we can talk about how we can go about getting your game to Japan :). Thanks!

Hi plectrumSoftware, yeah - Japan does like its winter sports and with Christmas around the corner, it'd be great if we can get it localized and out asap. I'll send you an email and we can start talks to doing just that. But from what I see, I'm sure there's lot of interest for it in Japan. Thanks!

Hi Metanaut, I'm actually surprised you know of that show, but yes. I had seen your game a short while back, and when I was talking to the people that we partnered up with - your game was one of the games that sparked their interest. Actually, if we play our cards right I can probably get your game featured on NHK as I know the people that work there. I'll send you an email and we can get the ball rolling... literally ;). Thanks!

Hi tain! Thanks for reaching out. I see your game involves moving in fast motion and shooting a game while you try to aim - personally I'm afraid I'll get too sick playing your game, but I'll try the demo out anyway ^^. (I tend to get sick when there's fast movement in a game that I'm not personally making happen.) But, my level of motion sickness is a rare case, I believe. That said, I'll contact you and we can get the ball rolling :). Thanks!

Hi adbadb, thanks for sharing your game! Could you email us at contact@mugen-creations.com to go into detail about the process of getting your game localized and distributed in Japan? Thanks!

Hi Midwestern games, I looked at your game and it looks pretty fun! I'm a fan of rougelike games having spent many hours in Dead Cells, The binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon. I also noticed your game isn't a vr one - so the process will be a little bit different. I'll email you so we can discuss things in a bit more details. Thanks!

Hi ANT DPU! Thanks for introducing your game. Most of the VR games I own are gun games so I can't wait to try yours out. I'd also like to talk to you through email to iron out the details of the project. Could you email us at contact@mugen-creations.com? 

Thank you!

Hi Meowsibella PTY LTD! Thanks for showing interest in this. I took a look at your game, it looks fun and a bit crazy. I'll have to try it out to give you more of a better opinion. (We've translated a couple of bullet hell games - Crimson clover and DariusBurst - have you heard of them?) Anyway, could you please contact us at contact@mugen-creations.com so we can discuss on how to proceed? 

Thanks!

Hi NINEDVR! Thanks for introducing your game. It looks like it's already widely distributed but hopefully we can take that number and grow it even more! I'll contact the email you have listed to get the ball rolling. 

Thanks! 

Hi Starlit, you do have a great game on your hands it seems. Also, it's a huge plus to see that you already have localization already worked out (It'll make the process much smoother). I'll contact you at your email address to get the ball rolling. 

Thanks!

Hi Matt! Great to hear your game is already really successful! Let's try to get it localized and out in Japan by Christmas so as to increase the amount of people (By adding Japanese people) and take that number to hopefully the millions!  Can you contact me here? contact@mugen-creations.com

Thanks!

Hi Shorkie,

Thanks for sharing your game! I'll send you an email to get the ball rolling.

Hi sp0rx! Thanks for sharing your game and sorry for the delay in replying to this. I would like to go into detail in regards to the process and, well, to answer all questions that you may have. Could you contact me here: contact@mugen-creations.com so we can begin those discussions? 

Thanks!

This is a typo, sorry about that. It's the FOVE eye-tracking dev kit, not the htc vive. (Sorry, habit of typing a v from the vive... )

Hi Runevision, let me check with the client and see if I can get an answer in regards to this.

Hello members of the itch.io community!

My name is njt - and I would like to welcome you to this group. (P.S. If you'd like to receive updates please click "Join this group" on the group's page)

Group's Purpose

To unite itch.io and the developers of the many wonderful games here with some Japanese partners to get your games even more exposure.

Potential New Client Base

For the past year I've been talking with a couple of companies in Japan that focus on putting games in front of people who have some extra time on their hands. To go into specifics - 1,951 shops serving around 10 million Japanese people.

These companies are very interested in working with itch.io as they're wanting more games to keep their many customers entertained. However, they also need quality control and someone to help bridge that game - which is where my company comes in.

Who We Are

I'm the owner of a business that specializes in localization (mainly of games). For the past 3 years the majority of the work I've done has been through other much larger companies outsourcing their work to us. So a lot of the games we've handled are hidden behind an nda. The games we can speak about can be seen here: http://mugen-creations.com

Plan

First stage

- Touch base with the community and see how many people are interested in getting their product released in Japan. (While localization is recommended, it isn't mandatory. (Games that infringe on copyright or have content that could endanger the Japanese clients will have to be filtered out.)

Second stage

- Talk with each developer individually to see what their expectations are, whether they want to get their game localized(My company can help, but we're not mandatory either) and if they want to sell their game any differently if it's in Japan.

Third stage

- Once interest and various details are decided we'll talk with the client to see their requirements and start the process of getting itch.io adjusted for a new audience.

Fourth stage

- Release itch.io's platform in 1,951 shops across thousands of pcs.

Other Things to Note

The clients are REALLY wanting VR content. So content that supports VR and the device Fove ( https://www.getfove.com/ ) is a must. I'm required to help get them 1 new game every 2 weeks to keep itch.io in the spotlight of their platform (We get 6 months guaranteed - but after that, it depends on how many people signed up.) So all help in this matter will not only help get more people using itch.io in Japan, but it'll also help get more exposure to everyone in general :).

Your Task (What we'd like help in)

First, if you're interested in this project please join, and post in this group with a link to your game and I'll contact you personally to get the ball rolling.

Updates will happen here. I intend to be as transparent as possible but some things I can't say yet due to NDAs on my end(Like specific client details and all parties involved - An NDA between us can allow us to speak a bit more freely, however in due time all will be divulged - so up to you.).

Also note, at no point will your participation be mandatory. If you want to wait until more information is public, that's fine.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll attempt to answer them as promptly as possible.

Thanks!

-njt