The Business: Mecha Ain't Dead, But It Could Be Better

One of the mecha channels on YouTube had a very telling--and short--video about an interview that Japanese outlet 4Gamer did with Super Robot Wars Producer Takanobu Terada.

Good News: Mecha Ain't Dead.

Bad News: Mecha is Network Captured.

Yes, there are brand-new IPs being produced--Amaim Warrior at the Borderline and 86 being notable examples--but the majority of attention and therefore commercial activity rests with the big legacy brands, especially the Big Four: Mazinger, Getter Robo, Gundam, Macross.

In short, we're seeing a problem not unlike American comics' superhero problem.

This is in a country where the entire business model and infrastructure supporting it is designed specifically to shove things into the faces of Normies and ruthless competition ensues to ensure that selecting for success means selecting for things that seize and hold the attention of the audience- especially a Normie-friendly audience since that's how you ensure that the merchandise sales meet expectations.

Being one of the top men for Super Robot Wars means being in a position to see what it takes to achieve that very objective, as it is men like Terada that decide what is and is not included in the series' games and in what manner that inclusion goes down. He coordinates with the merchandise units to cross-promote both ends of the business--watch a SRW livestream sometime--and thus has access to the data.

In short, if he and his team include it into the game, it's at least an entertaining show. That doesn't mean "of good quality"; it means "it seized and held the attention of an audience and retains good favor with that audience". The former fits Armored Trooper VOTOMS; the latter Cross Ange- both have their audiences, but only one is actually good.

This is not to be dismissed out of hand as irrelevant to authors or businessmen outside of Japan.

This is to be taken as useful intelligence not only on the Japanese market for mecha fiction, but--due to the global reach and influence--the market worldwide. In short, what I said previously has been confirmed: There is a great opportunity to succeed here by delivering to audiences what is being neglected by established parties.

If it weren't for the legacy problems that BattleTech has--even after the visual redesigns--then Catalyst Game Labs would be in the best position to capitalize on this opportunity by doing Mecha Game Of Thrones With A Side of Dune. If Dream Pod 9 weren't an also-ran has-been company, Heavy Gear and Jovian Chronicles would be nailing VOTOMS/Gundam (respectively) But Better. If R. Talsorian wasn't Maximum Mike's self-sustaining hobby, Algol and Mekton Zeta would be incorporated into the SRW series already because it did the blend of Space Opera and Mecha before SRW did.

In short, the issue is not that the material isn't there--it is--but that the people that have the material aren't connecting with the people that could bring it to the audiences that want it.

Figuring out how to bridge that gap is key, and the winner will be the first party to take and hold that space.