You Know What Neptunia Would Benefit the Most From? More Players

Have you ever heard of Hyperdimension Neptunia? It’s a JRPG franchise developed by two Japanese studios, Compile Heart and Idea Factory, and it’s one of the weirdest gaming-related IPs in existence. The entire series is, as strange as it sounds, based on the so-called “console wars” between Sony, Nintendo, Sega, and Microsoft. But none of these real-world companies actually exist in the franchise. Instead, in typical anime fashion, their consoles are represented in-universe by cheerful, kawaii anime girls.

Gamindustri, the setting of Hyperdimension Neptunia, is divided into four separate regions, each of which are modelled after a specific console brand. You’ve got Lowee, which represents Nintendo (and, more specifically, the Wii); Leanbox, which represents Xbox; Planeptune, which represents Sega (and the cancelled real-world console called the Sega Neptune); and Lastation, which represents PlayStation.

These lands are all very different from each other in terms of both look and atmosphere, and they’re each ruled by a goddess known as a Console Patron Unit, or CPU for short. At the start of the series, the four CPUs of Gamindustri are in active combat with each other in a fight known as the Console War. Each CPU is trying to collect something called “shares,” a manifestation of the belief that their citizens put in them. Without these shares, the CPUs will die.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Parodies the Real-Life Console Wars

The main protagonists of the Neptunia series include the titular Neptune, an optimistic but naive CPU who’s named after the Sega Neptune, and the PS3-inspired CPU called Noire, who is characterised as both hard-working and secretive. The other two main CPUs of the franchise include Blanc and Vert; the former is a shy, occasionally violent goddess that represents the Nintendo Wii, while the latter is a polite, hardcore gamer that’s modelled after the Xbox.

I think it’s safe to say, based on this short description of the series alone, that Hyperdimension Neptunia does not take itself very seriously. Because of this, the franchise isn’t really for everyone; even fans of certain JRPG properties like Persona or Dragon Quest may not like this series. Not only does itlean heavily on anime tropes and otaku culture, it is also very rough around the edges.Compile Heart and Idea Factory aren’t exactly known for making top-of-the-line AAA RPGs, and this series is no different.

Still, in spite of what I said, there is something charming about Hyperdimension Neptunia. I wouldn’t exactly say that most of the games in the series aregreat, per se, but they have had some passion put into them. There really isn’t anything else quite like this franchise, and that’s why I want to see more people try it out. The best way that Compile Heart and Idea Factory can go about doing this, in my opinion, is by making the series’ instalments available on as many platforms as possible. That, unfortunately, hasn’t been done.

Most of the Early Neptunia Games Were Exclusive to PlayStation

Despite featuring characters inspired by modern console platforms, the Hyperdimension Neptunia series has traditionally been exclusive to PlayStation consoles. The first few instalments in the series, in fact, initially made their debuts on the PlayStation 3 and/or the PlayStation Vita. Were the developers expressing favouritism towards Lastation, perhaps? Maybe, but the series did start in an era when JRPGs were at an all-time low in terms of popularity, so the decision to release on only one platform was understandable at the time.

In recent years, Compile Heart and Idea Factory have adopted more of a multiplatform approach with the Neptunia franchise. Certain games in the series, like Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters and Neptunia: Game Maker R:Evolution, are available on basically all modern consoles. The thing is, though, the multiplatform releases have not been consistent, at least not when it comes to Xbox and PC ports.

While the more recent Hyperdimension Neptunia games have received simultaneous launches on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, Xbox and PC players have consistently had to wait to play them on their preferred platforms. Take the next game in the series, for example. It’s called Neptunia Unlimited, and it’s currently scheduled to release solely on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. There’s no PC or Xbox release in sight.

The Neptunia Developers Have Not Supported Xbox and PC Enough

Speaking of Xbox, I have a particular bone to pick with the way that Compile Heart and Idea Factory have treated this platform. Only two Neptunia games have ever been released on Xbox consoles, those being the aforementioned Sisters VS Sisters and Game Maker R:Evolution. These titles were ported to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S within a three-month time frame in 2024.

Since then, it appears the developers of the Neptunia series have completely given up on Xbox. The most recent (and admittedly mediocre) game in the franchise is Neptunia Riders VS Doggos, and even though it was released two years ago, it hasn’t been ported to Xbox. With the way that Neptunia Unlimited is being treated, I highly doubt that that game will come to Xbox, either.

Basically, out of all these platforms, Xbox has it the worst. Even PC players get access to most Neptunia games eventually, but for Xbox players, it’s a complete crap-shoot. While I understand that Xbox isn’t necessarily the home for weird, niche JPRG franchises like this one, I still think it’s odd that Idea Factory and Compile Heart abandoned the platform entirely after only releasing a few late ports.

Bringing Neptunia to More Platforms Could Increase Its Popularity

In my opinion, it would make a lot of sense for Idea Factory and Compile Heart to support Xbox and PC as well as they do Nintendo and PlayStation. That way, they would be able to grow the popularity of their franchise in the long-term, even though it may cost them a lot of money in the short-term. That being said, I’m not a business executive, so maybe I just don’t know enough about the financial situations of the developers behind the scenes. I’ll leave that up to you to decide.