In today's main Gamasutra feature, Brandon Sheffield queries the new North American division of publisher D3, whose parent is known for its successful budget titles, but which is expanding into different markets for North America.
As Sheffield explains in the introduction to the piece:
"Los Angeles-based D3 Publisher of America is the U.S. offshoot of Japanese publisher D3. Though the companies share the same funding, their aims are quite different. In Japan, D3 is known primarily for its value titles, with over 80 games for the PlayStation 2 alone, under their “Simple 2000” mark (2000 stands for the number of yen paid for it – an equivalent of under $20).
The company does release some full budget titles as well, but in that territory, is primarily known for its pick up and play lower-priced games, with quirky titles such as The Giant Woman, in which you play as a colossal girl in a bikini who wrecks Tokyo, or The Miniskirt Police, which basically explains itself.
In the U.S., however, D3 will be working on bigger budget releases, using both licensed and original IP. Gamasutra spoke with executive VP and CEO Yoji Takenaka, VP of product development Brian Christian, and VP of marketing Alison Quirion about the possibility of a U.S. budget market, the benefits of ramping up at the beginning of a new console generation, establishing new brand identity, and the D3 Publisher Of America's plans for the future."
You can now
read the full Gamasutra feature on the subject (no registration required, please feel free to link to the article from external websites).
