Zero Escape Fan Made VN Is Announced On Twitter, Claims Half The Profits Will Go To The Making Of Zero Escape 3

[Funyarinpa]

First, a little context:

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Zero Escape is a VN series written by Kotaro Uchikoshi and consists of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors(DS) and Virtue's Last Reward(3DS, PSV). A third game was planned in the series, however, the game was "put on indefinite hiatus" due to the second game "not being profitable"- Ironically, the second game was made because while the first game bombed in Japan,  it was a surprise hit in the West. There was a fan movement on Facebook titled "Operation Bluebird", however, the organizers suddenly went silent. Their last post on the page is from the last day of May 2014. No significant events have occurred since regarding the series. Virtue's Last Reward also happens to be my favorite game of all time.

---

 

Now, a fan project has suddenly sprung up:

 

 Adrift In A Cobalt Eternity

(Announced release date: Early 2016)

[Official website not yet online]

 

Reddit

 

Twitter profile

 

It's an OELVN (to also be released in French) which was made by fans of Zero Escape. It's about a lost cruise liner and an Arctic facility, in which people are murdered one by one. Detailed explanation is in the picture above. I like how they refuted many conventional plot twists in the initial poster. 

 

Let me take a guess at the plot twist, though:

These people trapped in the facility are not the people who were lost in the cruise liner at all.

 

The most important thing about the VN, however, is a claim it makes:

 

50% of all profits will support Zero Escape 3.

 

I do not even know if it is legal to make a claim like that. I tweeted Kotaro Uchikoshi, the main author of Zero Escape's storyline, inquiring about the claim but I have not received an answer yet.  If you ask me, they got quite a few important people on board so I'd say that they are most probably credible. You gotta look before you leap though.

 

Update (11 Jan 2015): I am far from sure about this, but I think they'll let Unchikoshi buy some of Spike Chunsoft's stock with the money so that he has influence to make Zero Escape 3 happen.

 

 

~~~~Confirmed Staff Members~~~~

 

Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe

Background Artist

His Deviantart page

 

Minami Kiyota

Position Not Specified

She's Xenoblade's main composer.

 

Lucas King

Composer

Newcomer to the genre.

 

Shinji Hosoe

Composer

This guy is the man (read: god) who created 999's and Virtue's Last Reward's music, though you probably already know that if you're in this thread. 

 

Chris Huelsbeck

Composer

Official website

 

~~~~MEDIA~~~~

 

---Screenshots---

 

 

---Musical Teasers---

 

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0tpiLPEQHyl

 

YT mirror of the above: 

 

 

---Interview With Save Zero Escape---

Pastebin (Edited by Zaka)

 

Pastebin mirror

 

Link to the original release on Facebook

~~~~EDITS~~~~

 

Edit 1: 30 Nov 2014- Added the Twitter link to the post.

 

Edit 2: 18 Dec 2014- Added confirmed staff members.

 

Edit 3: 20 Dec 2014-Tweaked a few things, added Shinji Hosoe to the staff list.

 

Edit 4: 10 Jan 2015- Added Huelsbeck to the confirmed staff list, a few tweaks.

 

Edit 5: 11 Jan 2015- Added the Gallery section and added all screenshots (only 2 at the time of this writing). I'll add a trailer and such as well if/when they get released.

 

Edit 6:  2 Feb 2015- Added a musical teaser that was released on the Twitter page. It's by Kiyota. Renamed "Gallery" to "Media". An interview was done with a Zero Escape fan group, but it has not been released yet.

 

Edit 7: 14 Feb 2015- Added links for the interview made between one of the developers and Save Zero Escape (a Zero Escape fan group on Facebook).

 

Edit 8: 14 Feb 2015- Added Zakamutt's refined pastebin for the interview, a few hours later added link to the subreddit

 

Edit 9: 24 Feb 2015- Added a new screenshot.

 

Edit 10: 9 May 2015- Updated the release date, added a recent screenshot.

 

Edit 11: 26 June 2015- Added a new track's link

[Decay]

No, that's not legal. And I certainly don't trust a fan project to produce something that is even close to on par with ZE1 and 2. 

 

And what is the other half of the profits going to? Maybe they meant proceeds?

[Carronade]

Hmm, it's an OELVN. Unless it's on steam and features lots and lots of plot, half of the profits won't be that much anyway.

[Nerathim]

I was planning to make a topic about it once the official website is online but good job for creating it.

Anyways, you can add the development team if you want :

Backgrounds : Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe (Lucas Arts, Eve Online, Bioware Austin)

http://www.hideyoshi-ruwwe.net/credits.htm

Characters : Sara Biddle
http://mckadesinsanity.deviantart.com/

OST :
Manami Kiyota (Xenoblade Chronicles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2OGYMSfDfM

Chris Huelsbeck (Turrican, Giana sisters, Star wars Rogue Squadron, amiga version of Monkey Island, R-Type)

Shinji Hosoe (9 hours 9 persons 9 doors, virtue's last reward, xenosaga 2, Ridge Racer, Tekken)

(I can provide a source if needed but it's in french)

 

 

 

 And I certainly don't trust a fan project to produce something that is even close to on par with ZE1 and 2. 

 

 

I know the guy personally and I can guarantee that he really knows how to write a good mystery, given that he's highly unsatisfied of the genre in general (be it books or VN) he has worked a lot on it.

[Funyarinpa]

Wait, IS SHINJI HOSOE WORKING ON THIS GAME?!

 

Holy shit!

 

My expectations just, like, doubled- I LOVE some of the songs he's composed!

 

Thank you for the extra info, Nerathim!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFJ1r6_4mW4

[BookwormOtaku]

If this is made with the creator's blessing and can be trusted, I'll certainly support this if it ever comes out or if a kickstarter or other crowdfunding is made for it

[Vokoca]

Fan projects based on an existing game.... yep, waiting for this to get shut down.

[Nerathim]

Fan projects based on an existing game.... yep, waiting for this to get shut down.

 

Do you really think that it will be a vulgar copy/paste ?

It's a MYSTERY novel, not a story based on zero escape the only thing similar is the atmosphere. I dare say that creating a good and complex mystery is even harder than a good story. You need to be extremely careful when writing it, inconsistencies aren't allowed at all, you must use a whole lot of tricks that aren't overused in the genre and also believable if you don't want to be laughed at, a perfect and solid structure.To puke on it is like wishing for the death of OELVNs, this one has ambition and will propose a good riddle in an interesting setting.

[Vokoca]

Do you really think that it will be a vulgar copy/paste ?

It's a MYSTERY novel, not a story based on zero escape the only thing similar is the atmosphere. I dare say that creating a good and complex mystery is even harder than a good story. You need to be extremely careful when writing it, inconsistencies aren't allowed at all, you must use a whole lot of tricks that aren't overused in the genre and also believable if you don't want to be laughed at, a perfect and solid structure.To puke on it is like wishing for the death of OELVNs, this one has ambition and will propose a good riddle in an interesting setting.

Sure, if they stop flaunting the Zero Escape name and the VN stands properly on its own - and is well written, which is, as you said yourself, very difficult in this genre - then I'm all for it. Otherwise I can't help it but feel sceptical.

[Stray Cat]

Did anyone else catch the hidden acronym in the title?  Curious, very curious.  

 

I'm interested to see how this plays out. 

[Decay]

Do you really think that it will be a vulgar copy/paste ?

It's a MYSTERY novel, not a story based on zero escape the only thing similar is the atmosphere. I dare say that creating a good and complex mystery is even harder than a good story. You need to be extremely careful when writing it, inconsistencies aren't allowed at all, you must use a whole lot of tricks that aren't overused in the genre and also believable if you don't want to be laughed at, a perfect and solid structure.To puke on it is like wishing for the death of OELVNs, this one has ambition and will propose a good riddle in an interesting setting.

They should perhaps use that ambition in a less misguided manner. Trying to profit by using the Zero Escape name (we'll totally make ZE3 if you buy this!) when they don't have the license is a really scummy thing to do. They're attempting to profit off another's work when they have no ties to that person/company.

[nohman]

I'm sure they mean well, but like Decay said it kinda comes off like they're capitalizing on Zero Escape's popularity to promote their project. The main thing is, in what way will it support Zero Escape 3? It doesn't sound like it's anything substantiated or set in stone. Other than that, the premise of the project itself sounds interesting.

[Funyarinpa]

It sounds fishy to me as well, hence I'll contact Uchikoshi and get his confirmation that this is legal and stuff and that we can be guaranteed the funding WILL reach ZE3 before I do anything. I am interested in the project itself too, but I too will be pissed if they were simply capitalizing on the promise of ZE3.

[Nerathim]

The developer's main goal is to finance Zero Escape, the emphasis on the 50% is justified.  Adrift in Cobalt Eternity is a sort of "prologue" or just a little spin-off of a much bigger VN that will be written by the same guy. If this Kickstarter works he plans to launch another campaign that will be needing a lot more funds than this one but with the hype of being one of the principal actors in the release of ZE3 and a good mystery writer it will be easier. (that's not only politics hey, the guy himself is a hardcore fan of Uchikoshi's works.)

[Funyarinpa]

The developer's main goal is to finance Zero Escape, the emphasis on the 50% is justified.  Adrift in Cobalt Eternity is a sort of "prologue" or just a little spin-off of a much bigger VN that will be written by the same guy. If this Kickstarter works he plans to launch another campaign that will be needing a lot more funds than this one but with the hype of being one of the principal actors in the release of ZE3 and a good mystery writer it will be easier. (that's not only politics hey, the guy itself is a hardcore fan of Uchikoshi's works.)

 

May I ask where do you get this information from? I'd really like to learn more!

[Nerathim]

From here (french source) http://www.jeuxvideo.com/forums/1-36-23320383-1-0-1-0-gdc-le-jeu-project-ace-le-bfge.htm but also from some random talk threads on the same forum, nothing was announced "officially" but let's not be too picky about this we're talking about a independant game and once the official site shows up it will be clearer for everybody.

[Funyarinpa]

From here (french source) http://www.jeuxvideo.com/forums/1-36-23320383-1-0-1-0-gdc-le-jeu-project-ace-le-bfge.htm but also from some random talk threads on the same forum, nothing was announced "officially" but let's not be too picky about this we're talking about a independant game and once the official site shows up it will be clearer for everybody.

 

All right, thank you!

[Decay]

The developer's main goal is to finance Zero Escape, the emphasis on the 50% is justified.  Adrift in Cobalt Eternity is a sort of "prologue" or just a little spin-off of a much bigger VN that will be written by the same guy. If this Kickstarter works he plans to launch another campaign that will be needing a lot more funds than this one but with the hype of being one of the principal actors in the release of ZE3 and a good mystery writer it will be easier. (that's not only politics hey, the guy himself is a hardcore fan of Uchikoshi's works.)

Are they anything more than fans, right now? Have they struck any deals with Chunsoft already? Is there anything on paper that allows them to actually raise funds for Zero Escape 3 right now? The thing is, it's a really bizarre claim to make when they actually aren't affiliated with the license holders at all. At worst, it's downright illegal, at best it's morally wrong and sketchy as hell. How can they say with such confidence that they WILL fund ZE3 when nothing is on paper yet? How many people are going to give them money, believing that it will go to the production of ZE3, when they don't have the ability to actually do what they claim? 

 

If they continue to advertise the ZE3 funding aspect without properly licensing the Zero Escape IP from Chunsoft before they start the kickstarter, kickstarter will probably shut their project down. They should at the very least be aware of that. 

[Nerathim]

Are they anything more than fans, right now? Have they struck any deals with Chunsoft already? Is there anything on paper that allows them to actually raise funds for Zero Escape 3 right now? The thing is, it's a really bizarre claim to make when they actually aren't affiliated with the license holders at all. At worst, it's downright illegal, at best it's morally wrong and sketchy as hell. How can they say with such confidence that they WILL fund ZE3 when nothing is on paper yet? How many people are going to give them money, believing that it will go to the production of ZE3, when they don't have the ability to actually do what they claim? 

 

If they continue to advertise the ZE3 funding aspect without properly licensing the Zero Escape IP from Chunsoft before they start the kickstarter, kickstarter will probably shut their project down. They should at the very least be aware of that. 

 

For your questions, wait for the Kickstarter.  They're not blindly taking risks, the odds of this campaign being successful are fairly high (just look at the composers, I know a lot of people who would kill to get another soundtrack from Manami Kiyota), the only thing that is unsure is if it will be enough for Zero Escape 3 (but then again, who can know?) but it's guaranteed that the assistance provided to the series will be non-negligible.

They're taking a bet with good rewards in any case, the game will surely reach its stretch goal and a lot of rewards are promised to the most important backers, such as your presence in the game with a sprite designed accordingly (140$~ if I'm not wrong), a piece created specially for you from one of the composer, etc.

Don't underestimate the ZE fanbase and  the power that an amazing soundtrack may have, same thing for the promising plot.  And the guy is definitely not inconscious he knows how the videogame industry works and would definitely not do something illegal, that's a serious project not a vaporware started by a teenager.

Now it's just me saying things that nobody can verify and telling people to wait for the website and the campaign but I find this pessimism far too hasty.

 

 

 

Edit : Look at the twitter now

[johnnysasaki]

after reading their twitter,did I understand right that,if they have to,they will use the money so that Uchikoshi can buy the series' rights and have him fully own it?

[solidbatman]

This sort of thing never seems to work out, and I rarely give money to little things like this. In a sense, I'm kind of hoping it fails simply because I don't like the idea of a group of fans potentially profiting off another person's work. Now, if the Zero Escape guy comes out and says, "No guys, its all cool. They can do this," then why the hell doesn't he just help them make it? People would pay out the ass if he stepped in and assisted them. 

[Satoshi Mochida]

I hope that something positive comes out of this project, which will hopefully lead to the creation of ZE:3. But for now it does seem to me as a sketchy project. At least it shows that there are still people who are interested in the release of ZE:3

[Funyarinpa]

I'd just rather these guys be transparent: I'd be interested in this even if it did not claim to be able to fund ZE3. Anything involving the revival of ZE3 is a personal matter to me, and therefore I'd simply be extra pissed if they went back on their word.

[Zakamutt]

Do we have any proof that all these namedropped people will actually be working on it?

[Kurisu-Chan]

As a member of that French forum, i'll say to all to wait and see, and not rush too fast.

But the project looks rather serious, i know that they are generaly passionnate fans, and if they say they want to help the release of Zero Escape, well, it's a good thing.

And now i have your JV.C account Nerathim, my day is made now.