There is some contention around the terms “JRPG” and “WRPG” in Japan.
In Japan they don’t really make the distinction and just call both “RPGs”. However in the west there is a distinct genre difference between the character-focused, often anime-themed, story driven games that we call JRPGs and the more world-focused, free-form, choices-matter games we call WRPGs
There were a surprisingly large amount of Japanese developers that felt slighted because at a glance it seems like there are a ton of people that profess their love for RPGs but don’t like RPGs made in Japan.
I’ve always heard CRPG as a genre in reference to the more tactical, top-down RPGs, like NWN, Baulders Gate and the first 2 Fallout games. Whereas WRPGs refer to the more action-oriented games like Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, and Dark Souls(this one is especially relevant as it was also made in Japan)
There was a pretty strong niche of Japanese devs who were decrying the genre pretty heavily. I remember hearing about that after (notorious asshole) Phil Fish made some pretty harsh comments on japanese games something like 10 years ago.
So happy he disappeared from game dev, could not have happened to a nicer guy.
Wait… they were not proud of JRPG’s before ?
There is some contention around the terms “JRPG” and “WRPG” in Japan.
In Japan they don’t really make the distinction and just call both “RPGs”. However in the west there is a distinct genre difference between the character-focused, often anime-themed, story driven games that we call JRPGs and the more world-focused, free-form, choices-matter games we call WRPGs
There were a surprisingly large amount of Japanese developers that felt slighted because at a glance it seems like there are a ton of people that profess their love for RPGs but don’t like RPGs made in Japan.
They’re called CRPGs, not WRPGs.
I’ve always heard CRPG as a genre in reference to the more tactical, top-down RPGs, like NWN, Baulders Gate and the first 2 Fallout games. Whereas WRPGs refer to the more action-oriented games like Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, and Dark Souls(this one is especially relevant as it was also made in Japan)
Those are action RPGs.
“Action-RPG” or ARPG is a moniker more closely associated with games like Diablo and Path of Exile, really.
WTH is a wrpg. Nobody says that. I can kinda understand why they might be upset about being stereotyped or whatever
Western RPG is terminology I hear all the time.
Yoshi P, game directory for FFXIV and FFXVI, famously decried the term. Which is probably why FFXVI has basically no RPG elements.
There was a pretty strong niche of Japanese devs who were decrying the genre pretty heavily. I remember hearing about that after (notorious asshole) Phil Fish made some pretty harsh comments on japanese games something like 10 years ago.
So happy he disappeared from game dev, could not have happened to a nicer guy.
Pretty sure they have been. Dragon Quest releases are practically a national holiday in Japan.
Kamiya just loves coming out of the woodwork every once in a while to say some weird shit, so who knows what this is supposed to mean.
Definitely a backlash against FFXVI https://www.gamesradar.com/final-fantasy-visionary-yoshi-p-really-doesnt-like-the-term-jrpg/