Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia just launched on Steam, Producer says "the game is not in the black yet" to bring new PC features to Switch/PS4

[ggx2ac]

Link to the game on Steam:

Source for the producer's letter: https://brigandine.happinet-games.com/producerletter/17/?lang=en

The producer Kazuhiro Igarashi wrote:

Hello everyone, how have you been? Long time no chat!
I’m really happy to announce the release of the Steam version of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia!
This is for all of you waiting patiently to play the game on PC!

We’ve received many requests for a Steam version since the console game was released.
It took us quite a bit of time to make it happen, but we made it!
We’re confident the Steam version will allow more players to learn about and enjoy the game.

Other than game optimizations, the Steam version will also contain the following additional features:
1) New mode – Creative Mode (Origin Chapter)
We’ve added a new mode on top of the existing Main Mode and Challenge Mode.
In this mode, players can customize the game’s starting power balance, knights, and other settings.
This allows them to play the game with their favorite knights and without any time constraints.

2) Items can carry over
In Main Mode and Creative Mode, load a cleared save game to start a new game with items carried over.
Click on the link below to see what other changes and additions have been made:


Now, many of you may be wondering if the new features will be available in an update for the console editions.
I always try to share what I know, but unfortunately, there’s nothing concrete to say at the moment.

Putting the game on multiple platforms has always been an option after the PS4 version,
but because the game is not in the black yet, everything depends on how well it continues to do in the future.

There are many things we want to do, but for now, we decided to draw more new players with a Steam release.

Rest assured we’re always doing our level best to make Brigandine a game that all can enjoy.
Our goal now is to attract more new players as that is the key to the many new developments we have in store.
Once the Steam version becomes more established, you can be sure we’ll have more exciting news to share!

Please know that we truly appreciate your unflagging support of Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia!
As always, thank you for reading!

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia first launched on Switch on June 25th 2020.

A PS4 port then released on December 10th, 2020.

The Steam release launched on May 11, 2022 around 1.5 years after the PS4 Port.

Some of the Japanese sales data we know of the game courtesy of: https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search

But I can't find any sales data for the PS4 port.

Maybe the Steam release will turn things around.

Edit:

I forgot the Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia reached 130k units when the Steam port was announced in April 2022.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia coming to PC on May 11

Publisher Happinet and developer Matrix Software will release Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia for PC via Steam on May 11 for $39.99 / £30.99 / €33.99, the companies announced. It will be availab…

www.gematsu.com

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia first launched for Switch on June 25, 2020, followed by PlayStation 4 on December 10, 2020, and has since sold over 130,000 units worldwide.

 

[skulkidcachi90]

Well they say than the game already sold 130000 copies.
I guess big part of those sales come from switch.

 

[Oregano]

Sad that it hasn't made a profit yet.

 

[ggx2ac]

Well they say than the game already sold 130000 copies.
I guess big part of those sales come from switch.

Good point, I actually forgot it reached 130k units back in April when the Steam release was announced:

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia coming to PC on May 11

Publisher Happinet and developer Matrix Software will release Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia for PC via Steam on May 11 for $39.99 / £30.99 / €33.99, the companies announced. It will be availab…

www.gematsu.com

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia first launched for Switch on June 25, 2020, followed by PlayStation 4 on December 10, 2020, and has since sold over 130,000 units worldwide.

 

[Lelouch0612]

It is a very complex game, pretty hard to get into. I hope they'll make it but with 130k copies sold they shouldnt be that far (unless they went overboard with the budget).

 

[ktpoison]

A bit more up-to-date physical sales of NSW and PS4 port in Japan. It might have ranked on MC CY 2021 as well.

Media Create Sales: CY 2020 (2019 Dec 30 - 2021 Jan 03)
135./000. [NSW] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.06.25} (¥7.200) - 29.192 / NEW (16.423 <68,89%>)
424./000. [PS4] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.12.10} (¥7.200) - 4.126 / NEW (2.386 <38,60%>)

I wonder what kinda megaton budget they had for this game that they were not able to recoup even after +100k units sold. There was a Timed Exclusivity deal with Nintendo too, but I guess that this is a confirmation that they only got marketing/Nintendo Direct spot in exchange.

Still, a really strange story. I thought that physical sales in Japan alone were a signal of success for the game.

 

[EnergyDrink]

I mean its one of those "card" games. What did they expect and what budget could this game had?

 

[brutaka3]

A bit more up-to-date physical sales of NSW and PS4 port in Japan. It might have ranked on MC CY 2021 as well.

Media Create Sales: CY 2020 (2019 Dec 30 - 2021 Jan 03)
135./000. [NSW] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.06.25} (¥7.200) - 29.192 / NEW (16.423 <68,89%>)
424./000. [PS4] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.12.10} (¥7.200) - 4.126 / NEW (2.386 <38,60%>)

I wonder what kinda megaton budget they had for this game that they were not able to recoup even after +100k units sold. There was a Timed Exclusivity deal with Nintendo too, but I guess that this is a confirmation that they only got marketing/Nintendo Direct spot in exchange.

Still, a really strange story. I thought that physical sales in Japan alone were a signal of success for the game.

With games like Kowloon Highschool Adventure, Moon and this one, among others, I sometimes wonder if there's actually any exclusivity deal or if they just release this games on Switch first because they think they'll do better there.

I mean its one of those "card" games. What did they expect and what budget could this game had?

I don't know what you mean by "card" game, but this is like a fusion of TRPG and Grand Strategy game.

 

[EnergyDrink]

I don't know what you mean by "card" game, but this is like a fusion of TRPG and Grand Strategy game.

Seems I mixed it up with another game.

 

[KR_EP]

Below are the latest Japanese retail figures available as posted by Chris1964 in the Media Create thread.

Reverse late ports from Switch to PS4.

Media Create Sales: CY 2021 (2021 Jan 04 - 2022 Jan 02)

558./424. [PS4] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.12.10} (¥7.200) - 2.550 / 6.677 (-38%) (2.386 <38,60%>)
783./135. [NSW] Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia # <SLG> (Happinet) {2020.06.25} (¥7.200) - 1.293 / 30.486 (-96%) (16.423 <68,89%>)

We'll see if the PC version helps the game find a wider audience in the months & years to come.

As to what else could be done, figuring out the rights issues for the original Brigandine so it can be made available on the new PS Plus service would help raise awareness of the series.

 

[Fiendslayer]

I wonder how much of this is trying to get desperate, hardcore fans go double dip to "save the IP".

Given what it is, I find it hard to believe it has not yet broke even. Well, we will know for sure if they ever made a follow up game (or not).

 

[xV_twist]

Man, as someone who likes strategy games (from Advance Wars, Fire Emblem to Xcom or Mutant year zero) I've tried the demo on Switch a bunch of times and couldn't figure out how the fuck you even play this game. Yeah, there's like a million of tutorials but these devs are fkn clueless if they believe assaulting us with 20 thousand pages of tutorials before we get to even see what's the gameplay like is a great idea.

 

[ktpoison]

With games like Kowloon Highschool Adventure, Moon and this one, among others, I sometimes wonder if there's actually any exclusivity deal or if they just release this games on Switch first because they think they'll do better there.

Brigandine devs had interest in PS since day one, with a PS logo even being found to be uploaded on the game leaked website. I remember the devs also hinting the 'release on other consoles eventually' on TGS to some fan that asked about it just after the game was announced (although I can't find this anywhere anymore). The diference of time between the Switch release and the PS port (almost 6 months) fits well for a exclusivity deal too.

For Moon and Kowloon Highschool Adventure, however, I believe that it was a platform choice by the developers.

 

[AruanaRiva]

130k and still not on black is going to be baffling. I remember many old gamers like me who goes out of the way to import the Japan version switch version to support the game and franchise.

I wonder how much do they required for it to hit black there.

Especially when i see Bringandine performance here in Indonesia actually is on par with Bravely performance. I would not doubt that its 130k is mostly done on Asia when i heard close to no praise or discussion about the game in western gaming forum at all.

When a single store can sold 59 copies, that should put it as middle selling jrpg IP already here which is on the level of Bravely Default 2 and Atelier vs lower performer like NEO, Monark, Caligula 2 and .Hack G.U remastered.