Nintendo fans are no strangers to region-based exclusives. After all, just ask any EarthBound fan how long they’ve been waiting for Mother 3. But with Wii U sales starting to gain steam, it would seem that Nintendo would want to give every region a chance to enjoy the same great games. Unfortunately, a recent tweet from Koei Tecmo Europe seems to suggest that Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden could remain exclusive to Japan.
And regarding #WeWantFatalFrame requests, as far as we know this title is JP release only. Back to the office tomorrow FYI. #KTfamily
The company is referring to a campaign fans have started to bring the title to other territories. Fans across North America and Europe have taken to Twitter with the hashtag #WeWantFatalFrame, seemingly undeterred by the title’s current status. While these types of campaigns don’t always work, Operation Rainfall showed that fan petitions can prove successful, despite Nintendo’s protestations to the contrary. The fact of the matter is, if fans want to see the game arrive on our shores, voicing that desire simply couldn’t hurt.
This wouldn’t be the first Fatal Frame title to skip the West. The previous game in the series, a Wii-exclusive, also missed out on release outside of Japan. Still, it’s a disheartening prospect given that the survival horror genre has been quite barren on just about every platform over the last few years. At the very least, the game would provide some strong diversity to the Wii U library. Nintendo has always struggled with the “kiddie” stereotype, and a game like Fatal Frame could only help dispel that notion.
Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden was released in Japan this past weekend. Stay tuned to Nintendojo where we’ll keep you updated on any news of a domestic release.
Source: Twitter
Just letting you know guys, it was Operation Zero on Facebook and on Twitter that actually kicked off the campaign and used the hashtag long before it became famous.
Why not go give them a shoutout, eh? https://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Zero/131582506953973
I’ve never really been in the position where a game I want isn’t getting an international release before now, but this sucks.
I’d hope that fan outcry will at least lead to a digital distribution of the title, because I would really like this kind of experience on my Wii U.
I certainly hope this game could see an international release. I would definitely be there day one to purchase an American copy. I’m not a twitter user, so I’ll have to show my support by some other means…