[floatr][CAP=Konami Gives UDE the Boot]
[/CAP][/floatr]They said it couldn't happen. They said it wouldn't happen. Who are they? I have no idea.
But what I do know is that Konami Digital Entertainment has officially announced that they are taking the complete operational reigns away from Upper Deck Entertainment of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. KDE will now be the exclusive distributor, support and operational manager of their still hugely successful Trading Card Game.
In a press release from the official Yu-Gi-Oh! webite, Kazumi Kataue, Chairman and CEO of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc, stated that he was "very pleased that the Yu-Gi-Oh TRADING CARD GAME continues to be the number one TCG in the word. We are fully committed to maintaining a very high level of game support, from sales to organized play, and to provide a seamless transition during the process."
He added, "We look forward to having distribution of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME within our corporate umbrella as it allows use to take advantage of the synergies from our existing gaming platforms to ensure continued great products for the Duelists and for our retail and distribution partners."
What does this mean for TCG players in the US and in Europe? There are a number of ramifications for the non-OCG crowd both potentially good, as well as potentially unpleasant.
Much remains to be seen. It seems unlikely that Mantis will remain the official player management software that judges have come to know and love (and hate). Retailers will likely see a different way of doing business then they did with UDE. And Tournament Organizers are left wondering what this will mean for Organized Play in their respective countries. Europe has always had a reportedly poor relationship with UDE in that regard, and many European TOs are hoping that this change in operations will mean better support for OP overseas.
RONIN, Deck Studio and Netrep.net, while non-official, are perhaps some of the most crucial aspects of the english speaking Yu-Gi-Oh! gaming world. While the relationship between the developers and UDE has always been, for lack of a better word, strained, the break from UDE will mean that these two entities, Dillie-O Digital and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., will now have fresh ground, or should I say, fresh air to begin building bridges, and the positives for a genial relationship between the two are immeasurable. It would be a huge mistake for Konami to ignore this entity, as there is ample evidence that the three products have smoothed the work of Organized Play and Events the world over and undoubtedly helped in large part keep this aspect of the game in operation.
The downsides to this change, however, are as dim as the upsides are sunny. While players have never exactly had a love affair with UDE management, their feelings towards Konami whenever they played a direct hand in things has been even more rocky. Reports over the years have shown that when UDE management, those born and raised in english speaking cultures, made important suggestions as to translations of card effects, Konami would ignore or simply not believe the advice. Frequently this led to mistranslated effects and Player Management issues that could have easily been avoided had the advice been heeded. Konami has also been known to censor themselves based on a perception of what they think Americans/Europeans will be offended by, while actual Americans/Europeans are left scratching their heads by the edits. Konami also has a reputation, whether deserved or not, for ignoring the feedback from their non-Japanese markets.
Ultimately, we'll just have to wait and see where this takes us. Transition periods are never as smooth as the entities involved would like them to be, and we'll likely see some gaffs and hiccups along the way. Yu-Gi-Oh! players are used to disorganization at this point, so there's not a lot they can throw at us that we wouldn't be surprised to see, other then hard-core changes to organized play. Our hopes are that with no middle-man to deal with, our needs will be seen more readily and responsibly. Our fears are that the cultural differences between "us" and "them" will mean even more confusion, regulations and confrontations because of it. Here's hoping 2009 sees the brighter, not dimmer days.
But what I do know is that Konami Digital Entertainment has officially announced that they are taking the complete operational reigns away from Upper Deck Entertainment of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. KDE will now be the exclusive distributor, support and operational manager of their still hugely successful Trading Card Game.
In a press release from the official Yu-Gi-Oh! webite, Kazumi Kataue, Chairman and CEO of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc, stated that he was "very pleased that the Yu-Gi-Oh TRADING CARD GAME continues to be the number one TCG in the word. We are fully committed to maintaining a very high level of game support, from sales to organized play, and to provide a seamless transition during the process."
He added, "We look forward to having distribution of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME within our corporate umbrella as it allows use to take advantage of the synergies from our existing gaming platforms to ensure continued great products for the Duelists and for our retail and distribution partners."
What does this mean for TCG players in the US and in Europe? There are a number of ramifications for the non-OCG crowd both potentially good, as well as potentially unpleasant.
Much remains to be seen. It seems unlikely that Mantis will remain the official player management software that judges have come to know and love (and hate). Retailers will likely see a different way of doing business then they did with UDE. And Tournament Organizers are left wondering what this will mean for Organized Play in their respective countries. Europe has always had a reportedly poor relationship with UDE in that regard, and many European TOs are hoping that this change in operations will mean better support for OP overseas.
RONIN, Deck Studio and Netrep.net, while non-official, are perhaps some of the most crucial aspects of the english speaking Yu-Gi-Oh! gaming world. While the relationship between the developers and UDE has always been, for lack of a better word, strained, the break from UDE will mean that these two entities, Dillie-O Digital and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., will now have fresh ground, or should I say, fresh air to begin building bridges, and the positives for a genial relationship between the two are immeasurable. It would be a huge mistake for Konami to ignore this entity, as there is ample evidence that the three products have smoothed the work of Organized Play and Events the world over and undoubtedly helped in large part keep this aspect of the game in operation.
The downsides to this change, however, are as dim as the upsides are sunny. While players have never exactly had a love affair with UDE management, their feelings towards Konami whenever they played a direct hand in things has been even more rocky. Reports over the years have shown that when UDE management, those born and raised in english speaking cultures, made important suggestions as to translations of card effects, Konami would ignore or simply not believe the advice. Frequently this led to mistranslated effects and Player Management issues that could have easily been avoided had the advice been heeded. Konami has also been known to censor themselves based on a perception of what they think Americans/Europeans will be offended by, while actual Americans/Europeans are left scratching their heads by the edits. Konami also has a reputation, whether deserved or not, for ignoring the feedback from their non-Japanese markets.
Ultimately, we'll just have to wait and see where this takes us. Transition periods are never as smooth as the entities involved would like them to be, and we'll likely see some gaffs and hiccups along the way. Yu-Gi-Oh! players are used to disorganization at this point, so there's not a lot they can throw at us that we wouldn't be surprised to see, other then hard-core changes to organized play. Our hopes are that with no middle-man to deal with, our needs will be seen more readily and responsibly. Our fears are that the cultural differences between "us" and "them" will mean even more confusion, regulations and confrontations because of it. Here's hoping 2009 sees the brighter, not dimmer days.
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