Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 2DS/3DS release plans, cross-platform play, & more! (Part 2)

Coffee Beans
Last week, I published the first part of an interview I had with Ripstone's Phil Gaskell regarding Pure Chess that will soon be heading to the Wii U and 3DS systems. In the first part of the interview, we covered whether Pure Chess has real-time online multiplayer, how many "Play By Mail" games the Wii U and 3DS versions will have compared to the PlayStation 3 version, and if either the Wii U or 3DS version would feature Trophies like what are in the PlayStation 3 version.

I also had the chance to ask what chess fans in general might enjoy about the game, and what features should appeal the most to them. You can read the first part of the it, "Interview: Ripstone on Pure Chess Wii U & 3DS - Trophies, Multiplayer, & More", HERE.

Now, are there any plans on releasing Pure Chess outside of European and North American eShops, perhaps in Japan and Australia? Is there any plan to update the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Pure Chess to allow cross-platform play?

Brew yourself some coffee, and find out the answers to those questions and a few more, below!


The Brew
CoffeeWithGames (CWG): While Pure Chess is currently scheduled for release before the end of the year, being that Ripstone and VooFoo are both in the United Kingdom, will the game see a simultaneous release on both the European and North American eShops?
Phil Gaskell (PG): There are some internal processes that the games with go through at both NOE (Nintendo of Europe) and NOA (Nintendo of America) so we'll be trying to keep the launches as close together as we can, but there may be a few days between.

CWG: Is there any plan on releasing Pure Chess Wii U and 3DS in Japan, or is it just currently planned for just Europe and North America (Australia too)?
PG: Right now the plan is to launch in Europe and North America. Translating the game into Chinese, Japanese, and other languages can take time so we'll look at taking the game over into territories like Asia and South America later.

CWG: The pricing structure of the mobile version really offers chess players some awesome choices, will the Wii U and 3DS versions of Pure Chess have a tiered pricing structure like the mobile version, or will it just be the "COMPLETE GAME PACK" option when those versions launch?
PG: The Wii U version will feature a similar tiered DLC approach to the PS3 and PS Vita versions. So gamers can expect to get the basic fully-featured game for a great price, and will be able to download optional chess sets. We're also exploring bundling options so we can offer the great value complete pack at some point too.

CWG: Is there any plan to update the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Pure Chess to allow cross-platform play?
PG: We thought getting the big console platforms to open up and agree to cross-platform play would be difficult. We actually found it incredibly easy when we spoke to Nintendo, but it's going to be different from company to company. Sony are being equally open to the suggestion but as you can imagine, it's a busy time there with the launch of the new console. We're still discussing the feature with them and if they allow it rest assured we'll patch it in.

Caffeinated Thoughts
While Ripstone is thrilled about the upcoming Wii U price drop and new 2DS system (as am I), I am glad to see Ripstone and VooFoo supporting both Nintendo systems with Pure Chess. The fact they approached Nintendo with the idea of cross-platform play, and Nintendo not only said yes to the Wii U and 3DS cross-platform play, but also yes for allowing it with the Android/iOS version I think is awesome and really surprised me. I have been hearing more of how Nintendo is really trying to change the way they work with developers on their systems and listen to feedback, and I think this is just one more big example of Nintendo moving forward in a positive way.

If you missed my Caffeinated Thoughts post on Pure Chess' mobile version yesterday, you can read it HERE. While I will continue playing the mobile version, I do plan on buying the Wii U version of Pure Chess when it releases for the system, and I will probably at that point buy the Multi-Game Upgrade option for the mobile version.

If you want to enjoy the mobile version of Pure Chess until the Wii U and/or 3DS version releases, you can download Pure Chess for your Android/iOS devices:
App Store version, HERE.
Google Play store version, HERE.
Amazon App store version, HERE.

My Ripstone ID is CoffeeWithGames, for those of you that might enjoy playing chess matches online.

I would like to thank Ami and Phil at Ripstone for their time and helping me get this interview together. I hope that it helped bring some attention to Pure Chess in a fun way, perhaps even to some of you that didn't know much/anything about it.

As always, if any of you have any questions about Pure Chess that perhaps weren't asked/answered here, feel free to ask me in the comments below or by sending me an email at: Scott(@)CoffeeWithGames.com.

Questions
Are any of you surprised, as I was, that Ripstone found it "incredibly easy" when talking with Nintendo about getting the cross-platform feature implemented in the Wii U and 3DS versions?

If you haven't tried out the mobile or PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita version of Pure Chess already, are any of you planning on buying Pure Chess for the Wii U and/or 3DS when it releases later this year?


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