Earlier this year, XSEED became the knight in shining armor for many Nintendo fans when they picked up the publishing rights of The Last Story. The JPRG, the most recent effort by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, seemed destined to stay in Japan since hardly anyone seemed willing to localize and distribute such a niche title, especially in 2012.
By some accounts, XSEED's effort was a gamble, but one that clearly paid off. In a press release, Ken Berry, Executive Vice President at XSEED Games, states:
"The Last Story has been an amazing title for XSEED Games and it has become our most successful title to date… This is a must have title for RPG fans, and we’re looking forward to more players discovering the magic that lies in Lazulis Island."
The game's initial release was in the form of a premium package that almost immediately sold out. If one had failed to pre-order, the only recourse was to turn towards eBay, where it went for many times the original asking price. But that ends effective immediately; to celebrate XSEED's success, they have just announced a brand new, stand alone version that drops the 44-page softcover art book and custom box for just $29.99.
Meanwhile, any remaining copies of the aforementioned premium launch unit (apparently, a few exist in the wild) has been lowered in price of $39.99.