NEWS General Updates

X360 Death Smiles IIX - Update A few Japanese distributors started preorders for the regular and limited editions of Death Smiles IIX last night. Similar to the release of Espgaluda II, the availability of the limited edition appears to be tied to how many copies of the regular edition are ordered. We'll post a formal preorder offer tomorrow since all of the other distributors should start their reservation campaigns tonight and we'll finalize our order quantity and pricing.

DC Ikaruga Every year around this time is when we receive more than the usual amount of sales and clearances from vendors and small shops in Japan. We think of it as a pre-emptive Spring cleaning. The offers have been coming in every other night and one common theme we've noticed is that old shooters from the Super Famicom, Mega-Drive, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast command a hefty price premium. While other game genres such as mahjong, sports, and platform are discounted to the teens, shooters are priced roughly 30% above actual retail price. The standout selection over the past week was roughly 30 copies of the DC version of Ikaruga; the offer price was JPY10,000; that's $110.30 based on this morning's dollar conversion ratio. Note that this price is what's being offered on a wholesale trade basis. The pricing phenomenon indicates that there's probably a good reason for traders to hold onto popular shooters because they're in demand by a captive audience.