Danganronpa creator and Too Kyo Games CEO Kazutaka Kodaka says the studio sometimes submits physical-game builds that barely pass platform certification, counting on patches to finish the master—the build submitted for physical production. An uncomfortable amount of responsibility for the download button. Source
According to Kotaku, which credits Inven Global’s reporting, Kodaka discussed the process during a developer roundtable at SKY31 Convention Seoul. Physical copies remain a major focus for Too Kyo: Kodaka said a lot of its Japanese sales come from them. Source
“Honestly, we approach it with the mindset of finalizing the master via patches. Collector’s editions in North America or Europe take an enormous amount of time to pack with figures, so the master submission deadline is absurdly early. To be frank, we sometimes submit builds where we think, ‘No one should ever play it in this state.’ We barely pass platform certification requirements and release it while believing no one plays games without an internet connection these days.” Source
Fellow panelist Shuhei Yoshida responded that “in practice, you launch while praying no one plays that build and everyone downloads the day-one patch instead.” Kodaka then joked: “I’m not sure if I should be making such risky confessions in a venue like this.” The roundtable had apparently wandered out of the marketing department’s comfort zone. Source
Kotaku’s report doesn’t identify a particular build, document its bugs or establish that any named game couldn’t run offline. It gives no frequency beyond Kodaka’s “sometimes.” Source
In the workflow Kodaka describes, patches let development continue after the manufacturing deadline. But someone buying physical to avoid downloads could end up with a build its creator doesn’t want them to play without an update. That’s a less charming collector’s-edition extra. Source
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