Working Designs Mulling Handheld Bandwagon(Back Lit GBA)

Greatluigi · #1

When the Game Boy Advance first arrived on the gaming scene over a year ago, Working Designs declined to take part in the publishing festivities because of the royalties associated with cartridge-based media. With fairly steep fees on cartridges, it wasn't financially sensible to publish for the new system, because it would have cost more money to make a game than could be recouped selling one. Now, however, these fees have come down to more reasonable levels, and in recent comments, Victor Ireland, the company's president, indicated he is seriously considering a move to the system.

This does not, of course, mean that anything is coming right away, but it would certainly be a boost for the RPG handheld world, which has seen such titles as Magical Vacation fall by the North American wayside for lack of a publisher. Still, it will also come with a cost: Working Designs would likely have to charge $35 to $40 US to make a profit, which is up to $10 more than a standard Game Boy Advance title. Nevertheless, the company has a reputation for quality work and has brought over several popular RPGs for other systems that would otherwise have never made it to North America, suggesting its presence on the Game Boy Advance would be beneficial indeed.