Are These The Three AAA WRPG Studios That Are Currently Most Beloved by Mainstream Audiences?

[GentlemanCthulhu]

I'm just glad FromSoftware games are being recognized as WRPGs instead of JRPGs on this prestigious forum. Most retarded journalists think they are JRPGs just because they are made in Japan.

 

[S.torch]

2. Also, I did mentiob selling tens of millions of copies as one of the 3 criterias in my post, didn't I? The two other ones are hype and praise.

You also mentioned cultural impact, and I responded in this vein. Being the top 3 in sales is a weak criterion, because what sells more is something that changes every month, if not every week or every day with trends. Is like taking top billboards to dictate what's the most influential music or the new york time best sellers to dictate what are the most influential books.

From Software only became really big in sales due to Elden Ring, but before that they've been releasing games for more than a decade and had a massive influence in other games for better or worse. We have yet to see if Larian will do the same.

 

[ShiningSoldier]

I still remember when Big 3 was used to refer to the biggest 3 shounen anime in the west: One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Since then the term seems to have waned and misused many times.

The thing about these 3 series is that they marked a generation. I'm not exaggerating. Each one of them ran for almost 20 years, hell, One Piece is still running today. Each week you wake up and the first thing you did was checking if the new chapter of your favourite series was up, and get into fights for who was wrong/right about the previous weeks predictions.

Nobody thinks Larian and CD Project to be some essential part of their lives, enjoyment, memories, whatever. Only From Software could be said to have some degree of impact, but still not fully there, not yet at least. Maybe this minor tangent goes to say that almost nothing these days last this much. Often being only trends that are quickly forgotten.

Dunno, when I was a kid, in my neighborhood we only knew two anime: Sailor Moon and Pokemon.

 

[0sacred]

hate the least you say, there is no such thing.

 

[Kev Inkline]

Why are we discussing this again? Isn't it better to like what you like, irrespective what others think of it, be it mainstream audience or other codexers? I am at least here to find out games I might otherwise ignore, gaining insights etc -- and also reminiscence about the days I was young and vital (40 or so) back in the mid-80s.

Unless you're a paedo of course -- in which case it's not good to like what you like -- which unfortunately many of you guys are...not naming anyone, but look at the avatars people are sporting.

 

[Harthwain]

The trinity of studios - specializing in making role-playing games with realistic Western-style visual and a variety of character builds [...]

Trying to call a game WRPG due to visual style alone is a bizzare argument. That's not the reason for the distinction between RPGs (or WRPGs) and jRPGs.

Even if we agree that From Software games have some degree of choices and consequences, however minimal they may be, they still fall under action-RPG category, same as CD Projekt Red's, although in the case of the latter the choices and consequences are much more distinct. Ultimately though, it's Larian who has been making fully-fledged RPGs.

Regardless, the reason why From Software is the most beloved company (with CD Projekt Red being second, in my opinion) thanks to Dark Souls series is not due to its RPG components. They first built its position on the supposed challenge and exploration (this includes the lore), the second on its strong main protagonist and focus on the story (it being set in a fantasy setting, albeit a slavic-influenced one, also helped).

 

[Morgoth]

Meh.

I'm still rooting for inXile (Clockwork Revolution) and Archetype (Exodus) to deliver something fresh in the CRPG realm. If they fail, then all is lost.

 

[Dark Souls II]

Pssst, mainstream audiences! Come over here, we've got Larian games!