Folks, the market is changing. I've always approved of the concept of making console gaming more mainstream. And I've always believed that as a media, the games of console gaming can influence the mainstream. This is what I thought five years ago. And now, reality had shown its ugly head.
JRPG are being pushed to the back burner because, as a general statement, the mainstream are the "instant gradification" types. To follow an engrossing storyline while relying on character stats just isn't mainstream according to current trends. And like someone said, JRPG's are expensive to make especially on current gen non-handhelds. So the most viable platform for JRPG's are handhelds such as the DS and the PSP. Less cost, greater userbase, less risk. And more "traditional" JRPG players, such as myself, are dying out. you don't get many 36 year old gamers, even less 36 year old JRPG fans.
Most developers are going to do what makes more money by catering to the largest demograph of a particular platform. Catering to specific groups of gamers was the norm, but sadly, it's now the expection with JRPG's being one of those exceptions.
Hackers are poor nerds who don't wash.
