Capcom recently announced that the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destinies, will be a download only title outside of Japan. The fans’ reaction to this was not exactly the most positive, as this was the first time that a main game in the series will not be available at retail. Ace Attorney producer Motohide Eshiro commented on Capcom’s decision to make this game a digital only release in the U.S. and Europe. He said:

“The reason we are releasing the game as digital only is not primarily due to a lack of retail support. One of the main reasons we went for a digital version is it will be more convenient for the users. We felt that if someone will be interested in Dual Destinies they will want to get it right away, and if we offer a digital version, instead of going to a store however many miles away, they can just download it directly to their 3DS.”

For this game, Capcom appears to be trying to aim for accessibility and giving everyone a fair chance to try to game out. In the past, games in the Ace Attorney series became somewhat difficult to find in stores and even used to sell for a decent amount online before copies were recently reprinted. By having it on the eShop, players will not have to worry about whether or not they can find the game in stores.

Eshiro then said that “We didn’t want to have too much lag time between the Japanese and American versions” and that by releasing it digitally would “cut down that lag time.” Apparently, by making it a digital release the game can be released sooner, which would explain why it’s coming out so soon after it gets a physical release in Japan this summer.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Dual Destinies is planned to be released this fall on the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

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