Goodbye "Working Designs"

[Cedric]

I just found out from RPGamer.com that Working Designs (Which produced ports of Arc The Lad, Lunar, Growlanser, etc.) has closed down their production studios indefinitely. Here's the article for the site.


http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2005/121305a.html


Terrible loss to the RPG community, if you ask me. They were the reasons I got into Arc the Lad in the first place. I even messed around with Lunar here and there.

They were most notably known for their witty (though sometimes off) translations that used English jokes. But their best quality may have been their dedication to deliver a great product. They had a work ethic that favored quality over everything else. This was their main reasons for delaying their ports, but the effort truly shined in the games.

Apparently, Growlanser didn't sell well enough to keep the company afloat. So everyone, go grab those special boxes before they truly become collectors' items. I still have my Arc the Lad Collection Box, intact.

It was foreseeable, but It's still a shame.



Edit: To Red, I figured that's what "porting" a game was. Maybe I was mistaken in my terminology. But yeah that's what I meant, I know that they didn't make the games. They merely translated them and brought them overseas.
_________________

[Himuro]

Never played a working designs game once.

[Camus the Noble]

I'm sad. :( As a fan of Vanguard Bandits, both Lunars, Growlanser, Alundra, and Arc the Lad, I thought of Working Designs as one of the companies that could be most counted upon to deliver a good game. Hopefully, the staff will continue to make great games, even if not under the Working Designs name.

[RedCydranth]

I am a huge fan of the work that Working Designs did over the years. But I do not believe they actually created any of the games they put out, but instead were a team that took successful games in japan and translated them and ported them to the United States for our pleasure. I know that they did that for Lunar, as Lunar was originally done by Kadokawa Shoten. I also know that Growlanser was oriinally done by Atlus Japan and Working Designs just brought it over here for them.

I own Lunar: Silver Star Story Box set in great condition and I have the cloth map, hard cover book and the game is in great condition. I owned Eternal Blue but I gave it to a friend who absolutely loved the game as a gift for his birthday. He still has it, but he moved away last year to Arizona.

This is an unfortunate loss for us here in America though because with this dies any chance of seeing another Dragon Force come stateside since they were the ones who initally ported that here as well. Som many great games were brought here by them and I will miss them sorely. Alundra, Lunar, Growlanser, Arc The Lad, Dragon Force, Vanguard Bandits and Shining Wisdom (an extention of the beloved Shining Force saeries) were all fun games they brought to the states.

A moment of silence for a fallen friend.
_________________
I'm sorry and I apologize are the same thing.
Except at a funeral.

Fantasy Football (NFL) Sign Ups in Sports Forum!

[Sage]

This is really too bad. I am a fan of Arc the Lad and the Lunar games, and they did excellent work porting them. Too bad not enough people saw their good work as well.
_________________

[Synchysi]

I don't know if I'd say they did "excellent work" porting games over here. I, for one, always abhorred the stupid pop-culture references they put in the games they published in the US.

Despite that, though, this is still a blow to the hardcore RPG fans. Working Designs brought over niche games or those that flew under the radar, which often resulted in those games becoming "underground" classics over here, such as Alundra or the Lunar series. I know I'll miss them, not because of the quality of the ports, but because of the games they tended to port.
_________________

[Barbarossa Rugner]

I was a big Lunar fan. Sad to see them go.
_________________

The Rune on my Sword, the Dragon King Sword, is protected against any form of magic, Even the rune of the Gate - Barbarossa Rugner

[eXistence of Fly]

[Milan Fiori]

How did the Lunar for PSP or DS turn out? I don't own either one so I didn't buy it, but I know I read if it did well, Lunar 3 could very well be in the works. With Working Designs now gone...
_________________
Be awed by our prowess!

[Camus the Noble]

From what I heard, Lunar: Dragon Song was a flop. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I bought it and never played it for more than thirty seconds. I'm hoping that the reviews are pessimistic, however, and plan to get back into it. Then again, I say that about a lot of games that I never play...

But that game wasn't made by Working Designs, nor was the Lunar Legend remake for the GBA.

[Chimei Star]

[Sage]

People have their own tastes.

I never saw pop culture references, but then again, I can be dense sometimes.
_________________

[Cedric]

They were plentiful in Arc the Lad 2. They usually showed up when your characters were in a pinch and then they would say something pop-culture-ish like "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" or some wording that is non-existent in Japanese dialogue. And then for whatever reason, I think Shu or someone with a gun said "Say Hello to my puny friend" or something like that. For those who don't know, that's a pun of "Say Hello to my little friend" said by Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface. And then there was also the "Paysus Town Idiot".

I can't really think of a better example because it didn't stand out that much. Still, I lived off of sayings like this my whole life, so I didn't notice too much at all. It certainly didn't bother me, but it does depend on the person listening.
_________________

[Jurhael]

I found out from a poll on GameFaqs. I couldn't believe it. Very sad. Working Designs will be missed as they were noted for strong, witty dialogue. They just didn't have the success they so desperately needed. Shame.

I sold Lunar: Silver Star Story a little while ago since I knew that I would never play the game again. But, I still have Eternal Blue, Elemental Gearbolt(which is perfection, in my opinion) and Arc the Lad Collection. I have the PS2 Arc the Lad too.

Just that most Working Designs games weren't quite keepers or even games I considered gettting. Still, I liked WD a lot and will never forget their quote, "Delay is temporary, mediocrity is forever."
_________________
Let's waste time chasing cars....

[fuji]

On the one hand, it's sad that they're leaving, they were a NA gamer's best friend since they brought over games we normally wouldn't have gotten. However, looking at them objectively, I can't help but blame them for not adjusting.

Thinking about why they had to shut down, I'm reminded of that IBM commercial which promoted adaptation, or you'd end up extinct like the dinosaurs. WD should've noticed that in order for their company to stay afloat, they needed to get into something else. Most games that have a chance of being profitable were being brought over to NA during the last few years anyways by larger production teams.

They chose a tough (financially) niche to get into, it's a shame they couldn't make it profitable. Oh well, one dies, another comes to life. XSEED may take up the reigns and continue to bring over those underground cult classics.
_________________
______ "We're still flying"

___ "That's not much"

"It's enough"