Retro City Rampage DX: Keepin’ it Retail on PS Vita!

83 47
Retro City Rampage DX: Keepin’ it Retail on PS Vita!

Retro City Rampage DX Updates

Now, if your heart’s racing, you’re sweating — you’re frazzled because you missed the PS4 blu-ray, stay calm!

Here’s the link to the PS Vita retail version. << Buy It Here! Don’t Miss Out! Whew, okay! Now that you’re relaxed, I think you’re ready to sit back and read the blog post!

GETTING RIGHT TO IT… WHAT’S BEHIND CURTAIN NUMBER ONE?
  • A full PS Vita retail release
  • Includes a PS Vita card and case (factory sealed)
  • Region-Free
  • Available now for $30 USD
  • Estimated ship date: 3-4 weeks

Retro City Rampage DX UpdatesRetro City Rampage DX Updates

OH, YES? TELL ME MORE!

This limited edition PS Vita retail version comes to you on an official 2 GB PS Vita card, busting at the seams, filling 19.8 MB of its capacity. It comes factory shrink wrapped in your standard issue official blue case with new front and back cover art (different from the PS4 version).

It’s region free, so it’ll play on all of your PS Vita systems, worldwide.

As with the PS4 version, it’s the real deal and part of the official PS Vita game library (PCSE-00630 to be exact!). What that means is that if you’re aiming for a complete collection, you can’t miss it!

To make things extra special, it also sports retail exclusive gold themed PS Vita Live Area art, including a new icon and seal. It can install alongside the digital version if you already have it, and is 100% compatible with the existing Cross Save feature. Using Cross Save, you can pick up where you left off on the PS4, PS3, and/or digital PS Vita versions.

Retro City Rampage DX Updates

Another fun fact: This retail release is also unrated; the first (and currently only) North American PS Vita game without an ESRB rating. Why, you might ask? Well, that’s a tale for another blog post, but suffice to say, the ESRB was kind enough to allow it to be released without one (shout out to Rocco!), and that means big cost savings passed onto you! With limited print runs, every cost adds up. Without the rating classification, I’m able to sell it for a much lower retail price.

It’s available for pre-order right now at http://vblank.fangamer.com for $30. Order now, before it’s too late! Estimated ship date is 3-4 weeks.

A TALE OF RETAIL

Last November, one of the most important packages of my life was delivered. I wasted no time and immediately tore it open to find thirty blue PS4 games. Catching a whiff of that surprisingly not patented “new shrink wrap smell”, I reached in and pulled one out. It was a game I could call my own in more ways than one.

Releasing a retail version of Retro City Rampage DX on PS4 Blu-ray was a dream come true, and again, I can’t thank everyone at Sony enough for allowing it to be it possible. As more and more games shift to digital-only releases, having that trophy of your work to hold in your hands and put on your wall means more than ever. Having gone from developing games for other studios to starting my own studio, developing my own games, and then publishing my own retail SKUs has been incredibly surreal.

Of course, we wouldn’t be here today to unveil a second retail SKU of RCR:DX if it weren’t for you, the fans! Thanks to your support of the PS4 retail version, a door was opened to make another dream come true – that is, release official cartridges! PS Vita cards, to be specific. If the PS4 retail version hadn’t done as well as it did, this PS Vita version would never have come to be.

Retro City Rampage DX Updates

Retro City Rampage DX UpdatesRetro City Rampage DX Updates

THE ROAD TO PS VITA WAS PAVED WITH PS4
Retro City Rampage DX Updates

As the first indie to self-fund and self-publish a PS4 retail release, there were a lot of unknowns. As I stepped into the uncharted territory, no one knew how it well it would do, exactly how many copies to print, or even if it would be profitable. It was a risk. Like many indie ventures though, it was driven not by revenue, but by passion — much like going indie in the first place. When I looked at the numbers, breaking even didn’t seem out of the question, and even if I came close to doing that, it would be worth it. I would have an official PS4 disc, shrink wrapped and straight off the presses, to hold up and put on my wall, and those of you who had been asking for years for a physical copy would be able to get your hands on one too.

When the PS4 Blu-ray finally went on sale, it was a pleasant surprise to see it immediately fly off the shelves. By the next day, it was completely sold out. There was an unfortunate flip side though. I had underestimated demand, and because it sold out so quickly, it didn’t get much press coverage (it was sold out before it got on their radar). The months following were filled with a steady flow of fans were newly discovering what they’d missed, crushed that it was no longer available (sorry!). Their only option was to go on eBay and pay 5X (up to 10X!) the original price.

It put things in a tough spot, because many had bought it due to the fact that it was such a limited printing, so printing more would disappoint those fans. Not printing any more was disappointing those who missed out. The best of both worlds though: Printing an entirely new retail version for a new platform!

Before producing the PS4 Blu-ray version, I had long discussions to determine which platform to do. PS Vita was very high on the list, but there’s a bit more work involved in doing cartridges than discs, not to mention higher costs (there are like, a gazillion transistors in each one!). That was then though, when the road ahead was nothing but unknowns! Now, with a better view of the landscape, it’s not the crazy idea many thought it once was.

THE RUNDOWN

So, yes, Retro City Rampage DX’s limited edition PS Vita retail version is available for pre-order right now at http://vblank.fangamer.com.

Alternatively, if you’re still all about digital, Retro City Rampage DX is also available on PlayStation Store for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita / PS TV — 3X Cross Buy!

Retro City Rampage DX Updates

That’s all for now! Drop your questions in the comments below!

Comments are closed.

83 Comments

47 Author Replies

  • Does it come with a printed book?

    • Brian Provinciano

      Sorry, just the case, card and coversheet. A printed book would’ve been cool, but it would’ve increased the cost for everyone and many wouldn’t need one. Cartridges already cost a lot more than discs to produce, so it’s all about keeping costs low for everyone.

  • I’m still wondering why DX was a free update to the original version on every platform except PlayStation. I loved this game and bought it day one (before it was free on PS+), and I’m glad to see that it’s doing so well for you. I’d love to own the physical copy and I’d love to check out the DX version, but honestly, I’m only in the market to pay for things once.

    I do realize it took significant work to put out the DX version, so I’m certainly not demanding a free upgrade. It just seems that if PS users have to pay for the upgrade, then all users should be charged similarly.

    • Brian Provinciano

      Hi. Sorry about that. Each platform has had its perks and pitfalls. PlayStation had a bunch of free updates (was the only console platform to get free updates for the first 1.5-2 years). The original version was also free for PS+ members (meanwhile, had never been on sale on Wii, almost never on Xbox). The DX PlayStation version is also 3X Cross Buy, whereas the Nintendo and Xbox platforms are not even 2X Cross Buy.

  • Is this april 1 yet?

    Who in the sane condition will pay 30 bucks for a retail game with 20mb ??

    What am I missing here?

    • Brian Provinciano

      The Limited Edition PS4 retail version goes for 5X (up to 10X) the price of what it sold for originally, so the fans who do pick it up will be very happy in more ways than one.

  • Ur giving this game a retail release with a vita card! But you won’t release MINECRAFT with a vita card. Sometimes your business choices r awful. This game is not worth $30. This is coming from someone that loves their ps vita.

  • Lol, this is so rad. A 20mb game on a physical Vita card. Epic retail decision FTW.
    On a side note, this game is fun on a bun. Played the digital version on Vita when it was free with the IGC. Good times.

  • Then they’ll release a PS3 version in a few months. FML.

  • Daaaaamn Brian. Look at how far you’ve gone with this game! This is super rad. Congrats on yet another retail release of Retro City Rampage!

  • Regardless of the disgruntled people on here this is a amazing game and if you haven’t played it yet check it out.

  • can we get more real news on this blog please

  • This is insanely awesome

  • “This limited edition PS Vita retail version comes to you on an official 2 GB PS Vita card, busting at the seams, filling 19.8 MB of its capacity.”

    Out of all the games that deserve a retail release, you gave it to a 20mb indie game for $30. What the hell is wrong with you Sony?

  • Hey there! Fantastic game! I’m wondering… limited to how many?

  • @Brian I meant please can we get something more newsworthy on this blog?…but thanks for responding

  • Vita is dying ;/

  • Real and newsworthy news is the best news :)

  • There is no interesting news for the ps vita

  • sony promoted a video game that many bought expecting the same quality of the PSP , but ultimately betrayed us , the lack of investment in psvita by the sony own is a real disrespect to the fans who believe it from the psone

  • Just ordered my copy. You are awesome Brian! I’ve bought this game so many times, but I don’t care… I love collecting RCR stuff.

  • I can not believe that such a powerful portable can lose ground to smartphones and even for 3ds

  • eu não quero me conformar que o que o psvita tem de melhor são jogos indies. A nintendo lança MONSTER HUNTER 4, e nós nos limitamos a ganhar uma mera cópia descarada….

  • @WillianMiguel You’re entitled to your opinion, however wrong you maybe.

    I caved and bought it, I’m a nut for those physical copies and missed out on the PS4 version.

    So, when do we get to see your next game, Brian, hmmmm?

    • Brian Provinciano

      Developing a new game :) I’ve been battling significant issues with my back/neck and such for many years, so it slows me down (lots of physio, treatments, etc.). I’m not ready to announce things in detail just yet, but I’m excited!

  • @2 — Hey Brian, thanks for the reply. I should clarify that my frustration is directed at Sony’s policies on this, and certainly not you. Your game is fantastic, and even though I beat it a long time ago, I still pop in to free roam to cause damage and screw around!

  • I think the sony can do better than simple unsuccessful copies of monster hunter

  • Now it’s your turn HOTLINE MIAMI! :D Collection of 1+2 in a single cartridge for $20, that’s an instant buy there (^o^)/

  • Glad to see the Vita getting more physical media, I already have this as a DL but still glad to see the cards have a place still…

  • Just ordered mine :D

    My Vita collection will be extremely happy. Also, thanks a million for doing this, man.

  • So this is limited edition correct? So how many will the Vita version be? Or will it be filled to order and there is no set number yet? I’m just curious.

    • Brian Provinciano

      It’ll be a bit larger than PS4 to ensure less fans are disappointed this time, but should still be the rarest PS Vita game unless someone else does something even more limited in the future.

  • BTW, thanks for offering a physical version on the Vita, as it is my system of choice. I already own the 3DS and Vita digital games, so this will be a nice game to add to my “physical” collection. Thanks Again.

  • This has got to be the smallest (in size of MB) for a physical release in a long time.

  • Bought it digitally. Bought it on PS4 Blu-ray. Bought it again just now on Vita. No regrets. Can’t wait to hear more about the new project you have in the works. Congrats again, Brian.

  • Well Brian, I said it once and I’ll say it again, you’ve got my money…again! I’ve happily purchased RCR digitally on every platform…EVERY platform. I own the soundtrack, the vinyl, the phsyical PS4 release and, now, I’ve reserved two copies of this PSV release. Thank you, and you’re welcome!

  • lots of bigger games don’t even have physical version. screw those publishers.

  • So after all your hard work Sony makes it super easy for you to get your game on a PS4 disc. You then cut your profits by doing a limited run of only 2,000 copies. So you end up with a 1x return while the vile leeches on sites like Amazon are making serious bank at your expense. How was that smart? I mean I get it, you wanted to create buzz for your Indie and in a way you accomplished that, but at the end of the day you failed with your own return on the game. Anyways, if I still had my Vita (sold it once I saw its decline) I’d pick this up cause its games like this that is better suited for a handheld IMO…

    • Brian Provinciano

      Hindsight is 20/20. NO ONE knew how well the PS4 version would do. No one knew if it would sell out quickly. No one knew how many to print. Some even recommended doing a 1,000 unit run to ensure I didn’t lose money. It seems obvious, but I assure you it was not. I’ve paid out of pocket to self-publish these releases. As an indie, it would be crazy to risk so much in manufacturing a massive quantity out of your own wallet.

  • Dont know whether to be glad for devs succes with this game or horrified for gamings future. Played it, took literary 2 in a half minutes before i deleted, wasnt for me.. Keep 8 bits in the past where they need to stay. Would of been great 15 yrs ago or so for me. But with technology advancing i want to be blown away. I wonder if you own a rotary phone and a phonograph. Smh

    • Brian Provinciano

      It’s not for everyone but’s sold over 430,000 paid copies (plus hundreds of thousands were given away for PS+ members on top of that), so I wouldn’t be horrified. Simply, the games market is very diverse.

  • A physical release… for THIS? It’s a nice game I admit but April Fool’s was yesterday. :)

    • Brian Provinciano

      Joke’s on you! This is the second physical release for it, haha. It came out on PS4 blu-ray last year ;)

  • Hey Brian, ignore these obvious “clowns”, the circus has apparently come to town. LOL Anytime a physical release can be made available for ANY digital only game, it’s a win/win for the fans and consumers.

    I was wondering, is there any chance for a physical 3DS release, or is PS4 & Vita going to be it? I can’t imagine doing this with “N” would work out well, especially after the Wii issues.

    • Brian Provinciano

      Thanks for your support :)

      I looked into both Wii and 3DS when determining which platform(s) to do a physical version for as well. Unfortunately, the minimum print runs, cost per unit and other factors lead to me not doing them. They would’ve been super cool, but it all comes down to projected cost and estimated risk. For example, I put in the work to get approval for releasing it unrated so it could have a lower retail price. Cartridges (whether it’s 3DS or PS Vita) also cost much more than discs to produce, so that meant PS Vita still wound up being $5 more than the PS4 blu-ray version — but I take the steps I can to keep costs low.

  • Thats some fantastic news…retail is always better,so thanks for that VBlank.Retro City is surprisingly a fun game,I already have the digital version that I got from Plus but I may buy it on retail as well to have it in my collection.Also wanna congratulate you guys for the originality with Retro City…for real good job VBlank.

    • Brian Provinciano

      Thanks! :) If you don’t end up leaving it sealed, be sure to check out all the new frills of ‘DX’!

  • This is awesome. Retro City Rampage is such a great game!

  • @DonkeyKongKilla you are generally unpleasant and pretty much always negative. It’s a shame to see so many with a false sense of entitlement.

  • This is really good news. I’m not in the market for it seeing as I don’t mind digital (especially small games, I actually like that the game is small can keep it on my vita always without worrying about space) and I already have it but it’s great of the people who prefer retail and haven’t had a chance to get the game yet.

    Hopefully more vita games come out retail as there is a severe lack of vita retail games in stores, hopefully this is a sign that things are turning around for vita (finally)

  • 430k sold then many more on top dl via plus, could’ve dev something better for the main consoles, 8bit and hdtv dont mix well in my opinion. Latency issues plus i dont have all this for that generally, happy that people found this game fun, i had it on plus for ps3 when i dl’ed it. Wouldnt of bought it. But it was successful given those numbers, out of how many of the 430k do you suppose weren’t happy? Do you care? Or is this one for geezers and retro gamer kids that own prehistoric consoles that were out and absolute before they were born?

    • Brian Provinciano

      Due to the fact that it has a 90% positive customer review score on Steam (from 1,355 customers) and had a free demo for PS3, PS Vita and Xbox 360 to try-before-you-buy, I’m pretty sure most people were happy :)

  • @very – I guess you havent seen the numerous posts in my past that helped answered many People’s neglected questions, or posts that are good/feedback. Your assumption is probably only on a few posts. Smh, This is my feedback, maybe it’ll help the dev if he decides to develop a game for a more broader audience. Has nothing to do with feeling entitlement but a “Hey lets use the advances in gaming tech to dev something that pushes the limits!” not, “Heres an 8bit, enjoy.” Especially though these games look aweful on hdtv’s from my viewpoint. Maybe good for vita.

  • @DonkeyKongKilla, you’re speaking to a demographic of people that like variation in gaming experiences. Sometimes I like to have a simple pick-up-and-play experience that doesn’t tread in the uncanny valley. RCR is perfect, especially on the PSV when you want something you can pick up for bite-sized gaming sessions.

    I’d also like to point out that your analysis of how an 8-bit game runs on an HDTV is entirely accurate, when we’re talking about an authentic 8-bit game that was developed in the 80’s. RCR’s 8-bit style is a design decision, an aesthetic throwback to be certain, but one built on today’s hardware, made with those considerations in mind. To say otherwise is simply shortsighted and illuminates how little you know of this game.

    That said, your opinion is yours, but to come to a blog entry and cite that “the dev” doesn’t know his audience is a little misguided. You simply can’t make a game for everyone, and I’m fairly certain Brian made this game for the people (like himself) looking for a fun nostalgic love-letter to what plenty of us grew up with.

  • I would have loved to of seen even basic multi-player. Maybe as DLC? Scott Pilgrim on PS3 got its multiplayer DLC more than a year after release, so I still have my fingers crossed ;)

    For all the people complaining about PS4/Vita titles with a retro aesthetic that don’t require newer hardware, please show me a demo on a 6502 (or even early generation MIPS) with as much alpha blending or animation frames as any one of these great games PlayStation games: Retro City Rampage, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Megaman 9, Mercenary Kings, …

    RCR has a ton of nice little visual touches that make it look great on large HDTVs while still appearing true to the NES homage. I, for one, appreciate all the effort into the little details of game art and design — whatever the aesthetic.

  • Fun game, I can see why people like it, but I personally do not see why anyone in their right minds would pay 3x the cost of the digital title for a retail version of the game. The only reason I opt for retail copies on Vita is to save memory card space and frankly, this game is so small it’s not even a blip on my memory card’s capacity.

    For those super fans, I guess.

  • Pre ordwred! So glad I checked this today so I didn’t miss out! Debating wether or not to keep it for posterity or open it to use it!

  • Brian, I love that you shared this history with us. Helps gamers understand better how development works. I am happy for your success and I appreciate how responsive you are to your fans. Those 2 things are related.

  • More than twice the quantity of the PS4 release?

  • Lack of info regarding quantity just makes me wonder if this is really going to be that rare, or if it is just riding the hype that the PS4 copy received. The inclusion of the info pertaining to the eBay prices for the PS4 batch further raises my suspicions that this is just bait for flippers thinking they can make money off this. Just my 2 cents.

    • Brian Provinciano

      I can assure you I don’t enjoy seeing people making 30X more or whatever on a copy than I do with their eBay scalping, nor do I enjoy seeing fans having to pay so much. I cater to fans, not to flippers. How would that benefit me? I specifically don’t sell it for $100 or whatever because I want to be fair to the fans. If I were to cater to scalpers who are selling it for $100-250, I sure as heck wouldn’t have been selling it to them for $25. If I were trying to make maximum revenue, I wouldn’t be selling these for $25 – $30 (which is about the same revenue-wise since cartridges cost way more than discs to produce). There are a lot of costs involved between manufacturing, shipping, fulfillment, customer support, etc.

      This print run is a bit larger than the PS4 release quantity-wise, but not a heck of a lot larger. I’m crossing my fingers that as many fans who missed the PS4 one can get one. I’m going to pay for facebook ads to ensure everyone who likes the page knows about it.

  • Awesome narrative of your journey, Brian. I love your work and Iwas wondering if you’re planning on publishing books or other educational experiences to help educate new indies. Are you still living in Vancouver? Do you attend the Full Indie meetup?

Please enter your date of birth.

Date of birth fields