UPDATE: Questions submissions will end on May 10th, be sure to leave a comment!
SEGA of America will be attending at this year’s MomoCon, an Anime and Gaming Convention in Georgia, promoting their upcoming game, Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd, which is scheduled to be released this fall for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in North America and Europe. SEGA will also host a panel for the title. Other titles may also be in the cards at the convention, but none have yet to be announced as of now.
SEGAbits will be attending this year’s MomoCon covering the convention floors and SEGA’s Hatsune Miku panel. We will also have an exclusive interview with SOA’s Associate Brand Manager, Aaron Webber at the convention center about the game.
If anyone has any questions for him regarding the title, please leave a comment for us below or leave questions on our very own forums or Segalization’s.
Ad:
Greetings, Mr. Webber. I’m matty, an associate from SEGAbits. If you wouldn’t mind in answering a few question I have prepared. They are as followed. Ahem…:
1. Project Diva is a “very Japanese” game, right down to keeping the lyrics in romaji (Romanization the Japanese lettering) in the localized game. How did SEGA West (or whatever department at the time) approach this to adapt towards an audience outside Japan? What were the initial obstacles in tackling a project that was tightly focused on the Japanese market and then adapting it for a new audience?
2. What were the objections did SEGA West have for Project Diva before it was finally released out west?
3. Were you more interested in the quality of the game or the property of the Vocaloid and Hatsune Miku IP in bringing the Project Diva franchise out west? Which were you more focused on in marketing this game? Did you believe SEGA could reach a new audience or expand on the Vocaloid fanbase?
4. What is the appeal of Miku’s armpits? Do you like them? Do you think they’re fetishized a bit (even in a lighthearted way)? Would you lick them?
5. What input did the Japanese side have for the western market? Did they leave it up to the western team to handle the marketing?
6. Since Hatsune Miku, along with other Vocaloids, have a growing fanbase, would you consider in publishing other game properties starring Miku? For example; 7th Dragon 2020? Project Mirai?
7. In relation to the previous question, will the success of the Project Diva franchise in the west influence SEGA West to consider other properties that are more closely tied to Japan? Such as Project 575? Has SEGA West opened discussions of localizing games that they might have initially considered to be “too Japanese” for the west?
8. If the Project Diva franchise continues to be a success in the west, what else can fans expect from SEGA West in the future? Are there any plans to expand or create new projects in the vain of the franchise?
9. How does Project Diva compare in SEGA’s other games, particularly music games such as Rhythm Thief, in terms of what SEGA West expected?
Thank you for you time. If you would like to contact me directly, please contact me at SEGAbits.com under the contact page and my assistants will rely the message in a timely manner.
Thank yoU!
#4 is a weird question to ask him. Do you have another question besides that one?
Hmm… I’m not sure how to word it without appearing vulgar. Miku’s outfit is distinct and has created countless imitations across multiple media. That is attributed by the fact that the outfit hyper-focuses her underarms. If you observe all of the official portrayals of Miku (the header image, for example) you can see in many instances highlight that aspect of the character. It is done to be appealing, but whether it is subtle or not, I can’t answer. You can rephrase the question any way you like. In fact, you can reinterpret it, too, if you still wish to explore that point with Mr. Webber. (You can do that with any of the questions I asked, actually.)
If you’re there to ask him in person it may appear less creepy, anyway, since you’re there to explain it better lol! :3
Actually, Kori, if you’re there as press you can see about getting a more one-on-one interview with Mr. Webber. That would be a cool idea! (If you’re not doing so already. Panel QAs usually limit to one or two questions, I think lol!)
Kori, check this out: IA/VT Colorful
http://www.siliconera.com/2014/03/27/see-lights-vocaloid-vita-game-iavt-colorful/
Another Vocaloid game, releasing in Japan at the end of July. Nothing to do with SEGA afaik, but perhaps you can nudge that into your Q&A? ;D
How about coming to mechacon in New Orleans?
Hi. A while ago I tried the demo of Project 575, and liked it to the extent I was able to understand (I know very little japanese).
In fact, given the game’s somewhat simplistic nature, as well as the objective of filling as well as possible the missing parts of a song. I thought that a game like this could even be marketed as a means to learn a bit of japanese for westerners (it would need a few adjustments).
Have you considered localizing it, possibly with the twist of selling it not only as a rhythm game, but also as a way to learn a bit of japanese?