Wondering why Fantasy Life 2 moved from 3DS to smartphones? Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino has now explained why they made this choice.
This is what Hino told Famitsu in an interview:
I’d say Fantasy Life has elements and mechanisms which adults find soothing. Although children play games on dedicated game systems, recently many adults have been playing on smartphones.
The supported hardware for this game was decided based on thinking of an environment where more adults play.
It is worth remembering as well that in spite of Fantasy Life finding success in the West, Level 5 still develops games for Japan first and the West second. This certainly does not close the door on the possibility that Fantasy Life 2, or perhaps an expanded and enhanced version of Fantasy Life 2, could hit the 3DS or New 3DS in the future.
If anything, this is an encouraging sign. Level 5 clearly has a close working relationship with Nintendo, having tied up the Yo-kai Watch franchise to the 3DS, and assigning Nintendo Of America as the franchise’s official publisher in the US.
This means Nintendo isn’t acting like the monopolistic entity it used to under the late Hiroshi Yamauchi. Current CEO/President Iwata has outlined a strategy of close collaboration between Nintendo and other Japanese devs, that it’s also demonstrated with the way it’s working with GungHo Online, and DeNA.
Were you a fan of Fantasy Life? Will you play Fantasy Life 2 on your smartphone if Level 5 brought it to the West, or will you hold out for the next 3DS Fantasy Life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
