Castlevania's XBLA future looking grim
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Sep 5th 2007 at 5:00PM }
At GDC earlier this year, we asked Castlevania creator Koji Igarashi if he would consider making an original Castlevania title for Xbox Live Arcade. He told us that he was interested, but didn't elaborate beyond that. We hope you haven't been keeping your hopes up, because Igarashi has more or less declared that an XBLA iteration isn't in the cards. When asked by 1UP if a new downloadable Castlevania title was in the works, Igarashi responded, "There are two reasons why I am reluctant to create a game for such channels: 1. The price is frankly too low for what we'd want to do, and 2. Most of the next gen players are expecting really high fidelity games, so I'm really not eager to go that route."
While an XBLA iteration seems doomed, Igarashi did note that preliminary planning for a new Castlevania title on consoles has begun. Unfortunately, there are no concrete details yet. We're just shooting from the hip here, but we'd bet good money it will feature vampires.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
energyvortex @ Sep 5th 2007 5:58PM
Disappointing to say the least, but at least the haters can be shown that it's not Microsoft's decision.
Igarashi wants to make money from his game, and doesn't want to improve the graphics of any IP he releases on XBLA.
Lazy and wanting to be paid for it... who can fault him for that goal? :)
gundamxzero @ Sep 5th 2007 6:03PM
Shame, I played through SOTN on XBLA and got almost all the achievements damn you 209% DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!!
DeadPlasmaCell @ Sep 5th 2007 6:08PM
So they're not going to make enough money and it's too much work to do. Nice
Edge @ Sep 5th 2007 6:38PM
Really? Because I think I saw a Resident Evil without zombies...
Richard Mitchell @ Sep 5th 2007 7:19PM
"Really? Because I think I saw a Resident Evil without zombies..."
Touche
Stranger @ Sep 8th 2007 1:37PM
Fine, just port every GBA title over to XBLA then. I needs me my Castlevania.
If Igarashi wanted to keep Castlevania a 2D franchise, it would seem that either PSN, XBLA, or the VC (or all three) would be a smashing way to go about it.
I'd pay $20 for a good, download only, original Castlevania- more if the art was friggin' gorgeous. Seems like a missed opportunity for Iga, and for the fans.
Narcogen @ Sep 6th 2007 3:44AM
Frankly, that reads like... "XBLA customers want high quality products at low prices, and I'm just not interested in that."
In other words, if they could have just dropped the original game without any update onto the service, but charged more for it, that would have been fine?
T3H WICKERMAN @ Sep 5th 2007 10:50PM
itagari u rimjob i bought everything on live to support this game in the hopes for more. cough em up and take that ds stick out of your mouth you may choke.
Magic Whiskey @ Sep 6th 2007 12:44AM
I'm all for a full-retail CastleVania 360 game if that's what Iga really wants to do. He, as an artist has my full support, and I'd be against any products coming to the market that he wouldn't be behind completely.
Iga, all I would suggest is that you learn from your 3-D CastleVania mistakes. Don't simply take the world into 3-D unless the gameplay works.
All of us CastleVania fans would like to see the long-rumored 1999 tale that finally saw Dracula locked away that has never been shown. If you brought that to the 360, I know as a CastleVania fan I'd be beside myself in happiness. Toss in Alucard as a playable character and you have my $60 already.
Hey Apples @ Sep 6th 2007 1:32AM
His somments are not at all surprising.
As much as I like XBLA, the low price point and limited hard disk space really cramps developers' ability to do anything of substance on the platform.
Turboman @ Sep 7th 2007 6:22AM
NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want again (well I do want, but I would prefer it on XBLA) to buy a new Castlevania for shitty DS or PSP. I want to play 'em on a big ass tv with awesome controller, achievements & shit. >:I My favorite XBLA game is so far (of cource) SotN, even though as everybody knows it's graphics aren't the best ones. So yeah, IMO there's still many ppl like me who would totally buy it even with crappy graphics on the XBLA. If Igarashi isn't happy with the price, then just make it cost more! I don't care damn it. Give me new downloadable Castlevania!
TxdoHawk @ Sep 7th 2007 12:09AM
I wish Igarashi would give the fans what they want, that being a new 2d Castlevania on consoles. All this crap about LOLZ NOBODY'S GOING TO PLAY A 2D GAME ON A HOME CONSOLE is so last-gen.
James @ Sep 7th 2007 10:41AM
Actually, it's funny -- I was all ready to type out how I wished he'd take it back, and how XBLA is perfectly suited for new 2D content, and how cheap it would be to draw a few dozen monsters and some repetitive tile-based HD backgrounds to throw together yet another spiritual successor to the GBA games, but then I read Turboman's comment.
It reminded me that I hardly ever get any time in front of my consoles, because they're hooked to the family TV. I spend more time per week on my PSP and DS than all my home consoles combined. Frankly, if they released ten more DS Castlevanias (that were anywhere near as good as DoS and PoR), I'd buy all of 'em. So keep that portable gold flowing, please.