So how is Taito’s NESiCAxLive platform working out?

At the end of December 2010, Taito released a new arcade platform in Japan called NESiCAxLive that creates a downloadable content delivery system for coin-op use. This allows operators to get varied content quickly and at lower cost than through purchasing separate PCBs and cabinets for each game. In fact the way it is setup, it allows operators to download games for free and then split revenues with Taito and the game developer from there, allowing for a modern revenue sharing system. It’s only available in Japan but how has it been working out so far?

Japanese game magazine Gigazine sat down with Taito’s Vice President of Development, Mr. Huzimoto Takahumi to talk about NESiCA and to boil it down to one word they would describe it as “amazing”. As one can expect with an interview that is translated by online software, it can be difficult at times to understand everything said but the overall point is that it sounds like Nesica is doing well, their initial target was to place it into 500 stores (which is about 200 more stores than they initially sold Darius Burst Another Chronicle to) and many Japanese operators have picked up the game, in part due to high profile games such as BlazBlue Continuum Shift II being exclusive to the platform initially. They seem to indicate that some operators have hesitated jumping on the platform to see how it works out but as more games become available in greater variety as well as exclusively, it appears that Nescia will be making it’s mark in Japanese arcades for some time to come. I’m still hopeful that we’ll see something like this make it’s way outside of Japan, even if it probably won’t happen for several more years.