Working Designs
Encyclopedia
Working Designs was an American
video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japan
ese console role-playing games, strategy video game
s and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the long-time exclusive US publisher of the Lunar series
. The company was one of the few game publishers that attempted to bridge the cultural gap between the Japanese and American video game industries during the 1990s with an eclectic selection of releases from various genres, and was also one of the earliest American publishers to make use of the CD-ROM
format for full, spoken English dialogue in their products at a time when voice acting
was not a common feature in most mainstream games.
On December 12, 2005, Victor Ireland, President of Working Designs, announced via the company's message board that it was closing its doors. He has started a new company called Gaijinworks
.
due to the appeal of the CD medium, instead of the more popular cartridge-based Super Nintendo Entertainment System
and Sega Genesis. When the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn
were released, Victor Ireland met with then-President of SCEA Bernie Stolar
to discuss translating and publishing Sony's Japanese launch SRPG Arc the Lad
. Stolar outright refused Ireland, saying that RPGs were not the future, and said that WD's games didn't help the Sega CD and TGCD. This sparked a feud between Ireland and Stolar, and Ireland resigned his company to making Sega Saturn games, as the Nintendo 64 was considered to be too expensive to consider publishing on.
Working Designs often changed postponed releases from upwards of a year or more. The final Sega Saturn game released in the US, Magic Knight Rayearth
, was unintentionally delayed for over three years. When Sony let go of Stolar, and Sega hired him, Ireland finished up his Saturn projects and moved the company to the PlayStation, where they achieved some of the more notable successes in their history. The company finally managed to get the rights to Arc the Lad and its sequels, which Sony's new management insisted that they bundle together as one game. Ireland's feud with Stolar led them to ignore Sega's Dreamcast console in favor of the PlayStation 2
, but friction with Sony's approval process was starting to cost Working Designs money.
However, Working Designs didn't move to the Nintendo GameCube
or Microsoft's Xbox
system. Moreover, Ireland had been pursuing the rights to titles on both consoles, but kept finding himself outbid on the few titles that matched his company's skills. When asked why he passed on Lunar Legend for the Game Boy Advance
, a title he already owned the right of first-refusal on, he said it was because the game was mediocre and because he still disliked the expense of publishing cartridges. He initially dismissed the Nintendo DS
, saying that although production costs had come down significantly, the high wait times were still costly, and endorsed Sony's PlayStation Portable
(PSP) and may have been pursuing titles for that handheld. Upon his company's demise, Ireland quietly withdrew his support of the PSP, and voiced his support for the Xbox 360
.
PlayStation editions of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete, and the Arc The Lad collection came with such accessories as hard-cover manuals, cloth maps, and omake
boxes with cardboard stand-up figures, pendants, and other trinkets. Complete packages of these editions in mint condition have commanded high prices at auction.
The expensive packaging and the resulting higher prices have been cited as one of the reasons for the company's demise. Demand for the deluxe edition of the company's final game, Growlanser Generations greatly outstripped demand for the standard one. Victor Ireland has often stated that the company's demise was not due to the packaging, but rather it was because Sony insisted that games they deemed "inferior" be sold at a discount price, or bundled together. The extra profit Working Designs earned on the deluxe extras was not enough to offset the losses of time and money they incurred by selling two or more games for the price of one.
In a public statement posted on the message board hosted at Working Designs' official site, President Victor Ireland, though expressing much gratitude for strong core fan support over the years, stated that a series of complications related to the approval of upcoming games for the PlayStation 2
had created a loss of revenue from which the company would not be able to recover. Ireland however went on to express optimism that a possible publishing deal may occur in the future with the support of remaining WD staff, likely for Microsoft
's latest platform, the Xbox 360
. The statement ended by encouraging fans to contact Microsoft among other firms about their desire to see more titles like those which Working Designs had built its reputation on.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese console role-playing games, strategy video game
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
s and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the long-time exclusive US publisher of the Lunar series
Lunar series
The Lunar games, made by Game Arts and published in the United States by Working Designs, and later, Ubisoft and Xseed Games, are a series of console RPGs...
. The company was one of the few game publishers that attempted to bridge the cultural gap between the Japanese and American video game industries during the 1990s with an eclectic selection of releases from various genres, and was also one of the earliest American publishers to make use of the CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
format for full, spoken English dialogue in their products at a time when voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
was not a common feature in most mainstream games.
On December 12, 2005, Victor Ireland, President of Working Designs, announced via the company's message board that it was closing its doors. He has started a new company called Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks
Gaijinworks is a United States video game publishing company founded by Victor Ireland in July 2006. The company was established shortly after the dissolution of Working Designs in December 2005 of which Ireland was president...
.
Accomplishments
From the company web site:- Shining WisdomShining Wisdomis an Action-adventure game released for the Sega Saturn video game console. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.- Gameplay :Shining Wisdom differs from its predecessors in the Shining series in that it was the first to employ an Action-adventure style of gameplay...
was nominated for several awards as one of the best RPGs of 1996. - AlundraAlundra, released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action-adventure game developed by Matrix Software for the Sony PlayStation and was released in 1997. It was published by Sony in Japan, Working Designs in North America, and Psygnosis in Europe. It won great critical acclaim for its bizarre...
sold 100,000 copies in just over a month in early 1998. - Sony Computer Entertainment dubbed Alundra the Best RPG at E3 in 1998.
- Magic Knight RayearthMagic Knight Rayearth (Sega Saturn)Magic Knight Rayearth is an action/adventure video game that was made and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It is based on the anime series of the same name . The game was released in North America by the now defunct Working Designs; it was the last Saturn game released in the US region...
became the last Saturn game ever released in the US at the end of 1998.
Development platforms
Working Designs published games for the Sega CD and TurboGrafx-16/CDTurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
due to the appeal of the CD medium, instead of the more popular cartridge-based Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega Genesis. When the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
were released, Victor Ireland met with then-President of SCEA Bernie Stolar
Bernie Stolar
Bernard "Bernie" Stolar is an American businessman who worked in the video game industry for several important companies. His career started at Atari where he worked initially in the coin-op arcade division and eventually moved over to the home division in charge of platforms like Atari Lynx. He...
to discuss translating and publishing Sony's Japanese launch SRPG Arc the Lad
Arc the Lad
is a series of console role-playing games that were released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Several of the games were published by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan. The games were never released outside of Japan until Arc the Lad Collection was released by Working Designs in 2002. An...
. Stolar outright refused Ireland, saying that RPGs were not the future, and said that WD's games didn't help the Sega CD and TGCD. This sparked a feud between Ireland and Stolar, and Ireland resigned his company to making Sega Saturn games, as the Nintendo 64 was considered to be too expensive to consider publishing on.
Working Designs often changed postponed releases from upwards of a year or more. The final Sega Saturn game released in the US, Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth (Sega Saturn)
Magic Knight Rayearth is an action/adventure video game that was made and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It is based on the anime series of the same name . The game was released in North America by the now defunct Working Designs; it was the last Saturn game released in the US region...
, was unintentionally delayed for over three years. When Sony let go of Stolar, and Sega hired him, Ireland finished up his Saturn projects and moved the company to the PlayStation, where they achieved some of the more notable successes in their history. The company finally managed to get the rights to Arc the Lad and its sequels, which Sony's new management insisted that they bundle together as one game. Ireland's feud with Stolar led them to ignore Sega's Dreamcast console in favor of the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, but friction with Sony's approval process was starting to cost Working Designs money.
However, Working Designs didn't move to the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
or Microsoft's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
system. Moreover, Ireland had been pursuing the rights to titles on both consoles, but kept finding himself outbid on the few titles that matched his company's skills. When asked why he passed on Lunar Legend for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, a title he already owned the right of first-refusal on, he said it was because the game was mediocre and because he still disliked the expense of publishing cartridges. He initially dismissed the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, saying that although production costs had come down significantly, the high wait times were still costly, and endorsed Sony's PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP) and may have been pursuing titles for that handheld. Upon his company's demise, Ireland quietly withdrew his support of the PSP, and voiced his support for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Premium packaging and special editions
The company released some of their games with premium packaging for higher prices. They applied foil stamps and extensive artwork to their packaging and supplied games with full color manuals with anime artwork and concept art at a time when many game manuals for Western releases were in greyscale. Also, every manual came with a written letter, describing the translation process and procedure of their games, usually found on the last page of the manual. Every edition of these notes closed with the signature phrase, "We're nothing without you!"PlayStation editions of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete, and the Arc The Lad collection came with such accessories as hard-cover manuals, cloth maps, and omake
Omake
means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...
boxes with cardboard stand-up figures, pendants, and other trinkets. Complete packages of these editions in mint condition have commanded high prices at auction.
The expensive packaging and the resulting higher prices have been cited as one of the reasons for the company's demise. Demand for the deluxe edition of the company's final game, Growlanser Generations greatly outstripped demand for the standard one. Victor Ireland has often stated that the company's demise was not due to the packaging, but rather it was because Sony insisted that games they deemed "inferior" be sold at a discount price, or bundled together. The extra profit Working Designs earned on the deluxe extras was not enough to offset the losses of time and money they incurred by selling two or more games for the price of one.
Company closure
Due to a series of delays, approval snags, and sagging sales, Working Designs announced on December 12, 2005 that all existing staff had been laid off and the company was effectively defunct. Speculation on the reasons for why include the company's perceived inability or unwillingness to release games for non-Sony platforms since Magic Knight Rayearth for the Sega Saturn.In a public statement posted on the message board hosted at Working Designs' official site, President Victor Ireland, though expressing much gratitude for strong core fan support over the years, stated that a series of complications related to the approval of upcoming games for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
had created a loss of revenue from which the company would not be able to recover. Ireland however went on to express optimism that a possible publishing deal may occur in the future with the support of remaining WD staff, likely for Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's latest platform, the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The statement ended by encouraging fans to contact Microsoft among other firms about their desire to see more titles like those which Working Designs had built its reputation on.
TurboGrafx-16 & Turbo CD
- CadashCadashis a sword and sorcery video game which combines elements of both the RPG genre of games and the platform genre of games. The game was originally an arcade game released by Taito in 1989, later ported to home video game consoles such as the TurboGrafx-16 in 1991, and the Sega Genesis/Sega Mega...
- Cosmic Fantasy 2Cosmic Fantasy 2Cosmic Fantasy 2 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Nippon Telenet in Japan, and published by Working Designs in North America for the Turbo CD video game console....
- ExileExile (video game)Exile is an action RPG video game series developed by Nihon Telenet. In Japan, the series is known as XZR and Exile in North America. The first game in the trilogy never saw a release outside of Japan. Exile had two different versions...
- Exile: Wicked Phenomenon
- Parasol StarsParasol Starsis a video game by Taito released in 1991. It is a sequel to Rainbow Islands . It is technically the third game in the Bubble Bobble series.-Straight to home systems:...
- Vasteel
Sega CD
- Lunar: The Silver StarLunar: The Silver Staris a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts and Studio Alex for the Mega-CD console. Originally released in Japan on June 16, 1992 to critical acclaim, the game was translated and released in English by Working Designs the following year...
- Lunar: Eternal BlueLunar: Eternal Blueis a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts and Studio Alex for the Mega-CD as the sequel to Lunar: The Silver Star. The game was originally released in December 1994 in Japan, and later in North America in September 1995 by Working Designs...
- Popful MailPopful Mailis a side-scrolling platform game. Popful Mail was developed by Nihon Falcom for the NEC PC-8801 computer in 1991 and for the PC-9801 in 1992. It was later ported to PC Engine CD-ROM by NEC Home Electronics and to the Sega CD by "Sega Falcom", an alliance of the two game companies Sega and Falcom...
- VayVayVay is a 2D anime fantasy/science fiction RPG published and developed by SIMS in Japan for the Sega CD Console. Working Designs localized and published the American release.-Background:...
Sega Saturn
- Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean
- Dragon ForceDragon ForceDragon Force is a real-time strategy and tactics video game from Sega created for the Sega Saturn. It was created in Japan and translated for U.S. release by Working Designs in 1996, a translation that was also used by Sega in Europe under license from Working Designs. The USA release has four...
- Iron Storm
- Magic Knight RayearthMagic Knight Rayearth (Sega Saturn)Magic Knight Rayearth is an action/adventure video game that was made and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It is based on the anime series of the same name . The game was released in North America by the now defunct Working Designs; it was the last Saturn game released in the US region...
- Sega AgesSega AgesSega Ages refers to a number of compilations or re-releases of classic video games from developer and publisher Sega.-Saturn version:Sega-AM2 released several Sega Ages games for the Sega Saturn in Japan:...
- Shining WisdomShining Wisdomis an Action-adventure game released for the Sega Saturn video game console. It is a part of Sega's Shining series of video games.- Gameplay :Shining Wisdom differs from its predecessors in the Shining series in that it was the first to employ an Action-adventure style of gameplay...
PlayStation
- AlundraAlundra, released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action-adventure game developed by Matrix Software for the Sony PlayStation and was released in 1997. It was published by Sony in Japan, Working Designs in North America, and Psygnosis in Europe. It won great critical acclaim for its bizarre...
- Arc the Lad CollectionArc the Lad CollectionArc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPG games for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs, which closed in December 2005. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, however it wasn't till the new millennium that...
- Elemental GearboltElemental GearboltElemental Gearbolt, known in Japan as , is a light gun shooter for the Sony PlayStation. Originally developed by Alfa System, the game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released in Japan in 1997...
- Lunar: Silver Star Story CompleteLunar: Silver Star Story CompleteLunar: Silver Star Story Complete, originally released in Japan as simply , is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and Japan Art Media as a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star...
- Lunar 2: Eternal Blue CompleteLunar 2: Eternal Blue CompleteLunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is a retitled version of , a Japanese role-playing video game. It is the sequel to Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Originally released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn console in Japan, it was ported to the PlayStation in 1999 and translated for the North American...
- RayStormRayStormRayStorm is a scrolling shooter developed by the Taito Corporation . Originally released in Japan as an arcade game in 1996, it was later ported there to Sony's PlayStation game console in 1997, to the Sega Saturn in that same year, and to Windows-based personal computers in 2001...
- RayCrisisRayCrisisRayCrisis, known as RayCrisis: Series Termination in North America, is the third game released in the "Ray" series of Taito shooting games. Chronologically, it is considered a prequel to the first game, RayForce...
- Silhouette MirageSilhouette MirageSilhouette Mirage is a side-scrolling video game that was developed by Treasure. Initially published by ESP for the Sega Saturn on September 10, 1997 in Japan , the game was later ported to the PlayStation on July 23, 1998 in Japan. In 1999 Working Designs translated and published the game in...
- Thunder Force VThunder Force VThunder Force V is a scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft. It is the fifth chapter of the Thunder Force series. It was initially released in 1997 exclusively in Japan for the Sega Saturn with two retail versions, the normal pack which was just a standard release, and a special pack which...
- Vanguard BanditsVanguard BanditsVanguard Bandits, known in Japan as , is a tactical role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by Human Entertainment and originally released in Japan on July 30, 1998...
PlayStation 2
- Growlanser GenerationsGrowlanser GenerationsGrowlanser Generations is both a collection of Growlanser II and Growlanser III and the sole American release of both games. The American localizations of both games were produced by Working Designs...
- Gungriffon Blaze
- Silpheed: The Lost PlanetSilpheed: The Lost PlanetSilpheed: The Lost Planet is an enhanced remake of the original Silpheed on the Sega CD. It was developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and Game Arts, and was published in North America by Working Designs...