Another Eden Begins follows Final Fantasy Resonance and Octopath Traveler 0 in a line of JRPGs based on online mobile games that have been forever preserved through premium-release adaptations, and producer Shinnosuke Hirasawa says it's "wonderful" to see them escape the live-service reaper.
Speaking with Automaton, Hirasawa, who oversaw the overhaul of Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space, says it was no surprise to see other developers arrive at the same plan.
"Live-service games have the inherent issue that once services are terminated, they become unplayable," Hirasawa reasons. "Also, when a game continues for a long time, it’s common for the scale of development to start shrinking over time."
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius got almost the exact same treatment: strip out the live service mechanics, fill the gaps with more story content, and sell a full-price game that non-mobile gamers might actually like.
Asked how he feels about the likes of Octopath Traveler 0 and Final Fantasy Resonance, Hirasawa says, "Keep it coming!"
“I believe creators take pride in the work they’ve created, and I think it’s wonderful when live-service works are released in a form that allows them to remain in the world and keep receiving recognition," he adds. "It’s good for games as a medium, too, so I’d like to see more and more releases like that.”
The inevitability of end of service looms over even the best mobile, gacha, and online games. Even giants like Genshin Impact face the question of what happens when, years or – if developer Hoyoverse has its way – decades down the line, development dries up? Is there hope for an official offline version?
Another Eden Begins is now on Steam and Nintendo Switch (and Switch 2) for $40, and it's launched to mostly positive Steam reviews.
This pocket of preserved games arrives as digital rights and preservation become hotter topics amidst PlayStation's plan to end physical games and Stop Killing Games, rooted in the death of multiplayer games, taking its fight to court.
