Every franchise has its share of loyal fans, and theHarvest Moonseries is no exception. However, loyalty is never absolute. For example, when series developer Natsume announced thatHarvest Moon: One Worldwould be coming to the Nintendo Switch,it received a serious amount of backlash from the community.
Although some might mistake theStory of Seasonsfranchise as an unrelated entity, it is actually a re-titledHarvest Moon.When Natsume localized Marvelous Entertainment and Xseed Games' creations into English, it won the rights to the series' Westernname. Although Natsume is trying to keepHarvest Moongoing on its own, the fans have clearly sided with the original developers.
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In response to Nintendo’s original tweet aboutHarvest Moon: One World, the series' fans have come out en masse to denounce Natsume. Many Twitter users called Marvelous and Xseed the “real” and “true” developers ofHarvest Moon. Others took the time to criticize the quality of Natsume’sHarvest Moongames. Some even pointed out innovations that Marvelous and Xseed had made with its latestStory of Seasonsgame, such as introducing same-sex marriage.However, Natsume is not taking the community’s revolt lightly. Twitter user Azarathed reported that the developer blocked him after he re-directed fans toStory of Seasons.
While these reactions might seem extreme, the community’s loyalty to the original developers makes sense.Story of Seasonsis basicallyHarvest Moonin all but name. Fans would naturally gravitate towards games that are more in line with their tastes. Those tastes and desires for satisfying gameplay allowedStory of Seasonsto maintain its community, and allowedindie games likeStardew Valleyto gain tractionwith the same audience.
Even though Marvelous and Xseed deserve the loyalty they have garnered so far, it seems that Natsume is doing its best to draw players to its games. With anew engine and improved graphics, perhaps the newHarvest Moonseries will find its groove inOne World.However, the success of each game is in the hands of the players in the end. Hopefully, the three developers all manage to create games that will excite their communities.
Harvest Moon: One Worldwill be available sometime this year for Nintendo Switch.
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