The new 3DS is hitting North American shores in 2015, carrying with it the pesky spectre of region locking. Nintendo has made the odd choice to region lock all it’s recent consoles, leaving adventurous gamers out in the cold if they want to import the new hardware or any of the games that may be hitting Japanese stores early.
Now this has been a point of contention for many people looking to import games from japan, yet there may be a glimmer of hope for anyone interested in in importing nintendo products from across the ocean. In an unofficial translation of an investor meeting Q&A found on Neo-Gaf, Iwata mentioned the concept of region locking may need to be revisited.
“The game business has a history of taking a very long time with localization among other things, such as having to deal with various issues of marketing in each particular country, or games that have made use of licensed content that did not apply globally, and had all kinds of circumstances, so to say, that region-locking has existed due to circumstances on the sellers’ side rather than for the sake of the customers. In the history of game consoles, that is the current situation. As for what should be done going forward, if unlocked for the benefit of the customers, there may also be a benefit for us. Conversely, unlocking would require various problems to be solved, so while I can’t say today whether or not we intend to unlock, we realize that it is one thing that we must consider looking to the future.”
This could be a big move for Nintendo, and if it did take place could mean a new selection of people may be getting Professor Layton and other titles before they hit US Shores. Although at this time it is too soon to say if Nintendo will take this plunge. What do you think, will this be the incentive you need to jump in and important some unique games from Japan? Sound off in the comments section below!
Source: Neo-Gaf
