As game companies continue to reach into the past to create for the present, a cult classic is destined to remain a relic of its time after a market analysis confirmed it as an nonviable release for modern day. The game in question is the beloved PS2 classic JRPG Xenosaga, a franchise that has a faithful, yet small following and not worth the risk according to Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada.
The Xenosaga trilogy started with 2002’s Xenosaga Episode I and concluded in 2006 with Episode III. Mixing traditional space exploration with political and religious overtones, the Xenosaga games released to mostly middling reviews and would spawn a spiritual successor in the Wii’s Xenoblade Chronicles. Outside of the cult following, the series is best known for the character KOS-MOS who would appear in other Bandai Namco titles including Xenoblade Chronicles and Soul Caliber III.
Harada made mention that an idea for a remaster had bumped around and even made some headway behind closed doors, but the project would not be a profitable one upon further review. “[A Xenosaga collection] actually progressed to the remasters plan, but failed in a profitable market analysis,” Harada said via Twitter, also apologizing to fans and letting them know the project is dead for all intents and purposes.
Xenosaga being brought back from the dead was an interesting choice by Bandai Namco, especially because none of the games were memorable outside of KOS-MOS and was followed up by the superior Chronicles. Even then, Xenosaga’s main appeal comes from the fact that it is the closest thing gamers can get to a sequel to Xenogears, another title that remains a part of history and unlikely to obtain a proper remaster (though it appears as a title on the PlayStation Classic).
Ultimately, this does reinforce the notion that remasters and remakes are not being done purely out of fan service. Games like Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis have a market that makes it an easy choice considering the followings of both franchises, whereas games like Shenmue III need nearly two decades to be released under the cover of darkness and still feels like a work in progress. For what it’s worth, Bandai Namco made the right call leaving this one on the shelf.
Source: Gematsu