Europe to get Electroplankton

By Ellie Gibson Published 26 October, 2005

But will it be available in shops?

Nintendo has confirmed to Eurogamer that DS music maker Electroplankton will be getting a European release - but whether we'll actually see the game on shop shelves is another matter.

The game will go on sale in the US on January 9 via the Nintendo website and online retailers. Only one actual bricks and mortar shop in the country will stock it - the Nintendo World Store in New York.

So can we expect the same deal here? Who knows - according to a Nintendo spokesperson, "We haven't confirmed our plans in the UK yet for Electroplankton."

No release date has been announced so far and the spokesperson declined to comment, but we're informed by a secret source that Electroplankton will arrive here in April.

Electroplankton, for those who don't know, is the brainchild of composer and artist Toshio Iwai - a sort of Japanese Jeff Minter, he's been mucking about with music and computer-generated imagery for years now. He also developed SimTunes, widely available for download at an Internet near you.

To learn more about Electroplankton, why not read our comprehensive preview.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • asphaltcowboy #1 6 years ago

    Ack! Get it released already!

  • RedboX #2 6 years ago

    Im going to quote what was said over at 4cb..

    I think its a fairly stong business decision. Electroplankton will certainly appeal to a select group of gamers. While I’m sure some people would pick it up at the store and really enjoy it, many may not realize what they are getting and be upset that it isn’t a more traditional gaming experience. Not only does selling it online hit a more focused target of people who definitely want the game, but it probably cuts costs for Nintendo.

  • Xerx3s #3 6 years ago

    nice.

  • djchump #4 6 years ago

    I doubt the delay was due to localisation issues, it was probably because they didn't think there was a market for it in The West.
    They may have decided to release due to the growing interest raised by people who have importd it, or they may have planned to let the interest grow from the start.

    I imported it and love it, so don't mind the delay - I feel that if they had released it sooner over here it may have been too easily dismissed as just a "non-game gimmick" and then would have disappeared of the shelves and into obscurity.
    But now, with the interest generated by Nintendogs, I think this has much more of a chance when it gets released in the West and is much more in fitting with Nintendo's current catalogue and general strategy for the DS and Revolution.

  • ecureuil #5 6 years ago

    I want this game.

    Now give us Jump SuperStars, Ouendan, Trauma Center and Brain Training.

  • kenty #6 6 years ago

    makes sense for nintendo to wait until the DS user base has grown sufficiently to warrant releasing such a niche title in yurop

  • Teeth #7 6 years ago

    /yays slightly

  • djchump #8 6 years ago

    I've heard Jump Superstars won't be getting US or Euro release - due to the number of licensed characters in it and the legal nightmare trying to get them all licensed in 2 further territories.
    I haven't heard of Ouendan getting a US or Euro release either. Likewise Brain Training - although I'm keeping my hopes up that this or a title in a similar vein will make it to the US or Europe as I believe it would fit in with Nintendo's "Lifestyle Gaming" ethic.

    I think Trauma Center and Phoenix Wright will be coming out over here as they have got US releases. In general, it seems any game that gets US release will eventually make it to Europe.

  • Tommo #9 6 years ago

    First Electroplankton... then all of their games sold online when the Revolution comes along? Hmmm... 'testing the water'?

    I certainly hope so.

  • djchump #10 6 years ago

    Tommo - there's quite a difference between selling a boxed game through online retailers and online/digital distribution of game content itself.
    I don't believe there's any connection here.

  • MORZTAN #11 6 years ago

    Du-du-du-du-whos-your-daddy-du-elek-tro-plankton-du-Nintendo -YEAH!

  • kangarootoo #12 6 years ago

    This is possibly my favourite DS game. I could spend ages tweaking that tree.

  • djchump #13 6 years ago

    :-D I love it when the flowers appear :-D

  • cuniculus #14 6 years ago

    Yes, best thing on the DS so far. So relaxing to have it in the DS port for a bit of peace between chapters of Fire Emblem in the GBA slot (which I'm *still* trying to complete before Sacred Stones *and* Path Of Radiance arrive in a couple of weeks; I don't know, one Fire Emblem game ever in Europe then two come along at the same time).

  • AOFanboi #15 6 years ago

    Who needs

    - I OBJECT!!!

    Ah, yes, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Ships with Japanese and English version in one release. Why not also Elektroplankton? Stupid stupid stupid.

  • djchump #16 6 years ago

    "you're exactly right, that was the reason, but isnt that the problem? do they see us as a bunch of idiots who only like FPs and GTA type games?"

    True - the Western market has been far too boring and stodgy for my tastes lately. That's why I'm loving my DS at the moment and have imported quite a few games - I've never imported before so it's a first for me! I guess the DS (and GBA) being able to play foreign games has played a large part in that (I didn't chip my PS2 or anything), but also because I thought the more interesting/quirky titles wouldn't get released over here.

    However, I do detect an "air of change" - mostly spearheaded by Nintendogs. I do genuinely feel that Nintendo will do well with bringing lots of "non-gamers" or casual-gamers back into the fold. With the same lined up for the Revolution, hopefully the quirky Japanese titles will do well enough on import for Nintendo and the other publishers to release them overseas. I think casual gamers are a lot more open to more quirky titles as they're not so stuck in their ways.

    For instance, I've been a PC-gamer and FPS whore for far too long, but F.E.A.R. is jsut a bit boring to me - it's a really refreshing change for me to get some nice old-school gaming on my DS :-)

    /waffle-mode disengage

  • wiggle87 #17 6 years ago

    Nintendo are making so many of these games, if these sorts of games are the future and they aren't compatible in the West, then where does that leave Nintendo? I belive it could really catch-on marketted correctly. EJay and all that does perfectly well. They ought to cut us sum slak, these games aren't popular becasue they aren't avaliable.

  • Hog-lumps #18 6 years ago

    Well if we do get it, I bet it wont come bundled with the free headphones like the japenese release!

  • Ciaran #19 6 years ago

    ...or the pretty pretty manual.

    Still, even though I finally imported the japanese version a month ago, I'll probably still pick up the Euro release, if only to encourage N to bring crazy zany stuff like this to Euroland more often.

  • Dr_Actually #20 6 years ago

    A wonderful piece of soulful electronic entertainment