I thinks it's partially because of the younger generation of gamers. I've never liked JRPGs, but that's just my personal preference, as I like games that require skill and strategy, and most JRPGs seem to only require strategy. I also find their stories to be too linear and restrictive for a Role-playing game (emphasis on the role-playing). The only JRPG I've ever like (outside of Pokemon) is Yakuza 3, and it may not even classify as a JRPG at all. That being said, I can see the appeal.

Now the meat of my argument is this: Younger gamers aren't patient enough. 

They don't want to sit through some long cutscene or use a battle-system that requires thought, they just want to play GTA and kill some bitches, or play CoD and call the other team bitches. Half the time, if a game isn't multiplayer, they don't even look at it. This isn't only happening with JRPGs, it's already happened with adventure games and "hard-core" computer (aka "western") RPGs. In fact, it seems that every genre is being dumbed down in some way. It's not a matter of JRPGs not evolving, it's that everything else is devolving.

/rant.

I thinks it's partially because of the younger generation of gamers. I've never liked JRPGs, but that's just my personal preference, as I like games that require skill and strategy, and most JRPGs seem to only require strategy. I also find their stories to be too linear and restrictive for a Role-playing game (emphasis on the role-playing). The only JRPG I've ever like (outside of Pokemon) is Yakuza 3, and it may not even classify as a JRPG at all. That being said, I can see the appeal.

Now the meat of my argument is this: Younger gamers aren't patient enough. 

They don't want to sit through some long cutscene or use a battle-system that requires thought, they just want to play GTA and kill some bitches, or play CoD and call the other team bitches. Half the time, if a game isn't multiplayer, they don't even look at it. This isn't only happening with JRPGs, it's already happened with adventure games and "hard-core" computer (aka "western") RPGs. In fact, it seems that every genre is being dumbed down in some way. It's not a matter of JRPGs not evolving, it's that everything else is devolving.

/rant.

Yeah mikami is right... every other JRPG has struggled to have the penetration in the states that they enjoy in japan with the exception of Pokemon and Final Fantasy. As to the bioware idiot if he actually played some JRPG he would see they do have innovations, Valkyria Chronicles comes to mind but Persona as always been edgie, 30 minute hero is another, vagrant story, final fantasy 12's gambit system... but i guess when innovation means ripping D D rule sets and adding tons of dialogue trees what can be said... all of this smells of xenophobic paranoia to me... funny how there's all this doom for the jp's but most of those companies pulled a profit while the west were happy to reduce their losses... and last time i checked the charts are dominated by JP games, even though they all stem from nintendo, i guess they are too big to be considered Japanese o.

Hey man, Super Mario is Italian, lol. just kidding, yeah i agree theres a lot of innovation in JRPGs and even JP developed games. at the end of the day these games take a lot of time and i suppose it can be difficult for the typical western gamer to get used to it. 

by the way i think the biggest problem with these types of games is the pacing, i mean you can spend hours in a dungeon and then watch a cutscene for 30 mins. and thats why i think WRPGs are more popular here than JRPGs. its really hard to get into them. and thats why Demons Souls is so highly regarded by reviewers here, its just a pure assult course!!

@dweli, it is partly patience, but when i compare FF12 & FF13 (polar opposites) i can see that even though the battle systems in Japanese games (Bayonetta, DMC) and JRPGS has evolved, the pacing hasnt changed, theres still a lot of cutscene to get through, and gamers dont want that, they want gameplay. i think that a lot of people who play GTA probabily just skip the cutscenes, where as the pacing in something like FF12 was fantastic. these days with voice overs and stuff, you cant read the text boxes like before, you cant control the pacing, your forced to watch a movie like thing, and at thats where the JRPGs are losing ground i think.

I highly doubt that.  The cutscenes in GTA are nowhere near as long as the cutscenes in something like MGS or SO4.  From my experience, GTA IV's cutscenes lated maybe 5 minutes at most.  This applies with the other GTA games and RDR.  I don't think they hate cutscenes.  I think they just hate ploddingly paced cutscenes that endlessly repeat the most basic plot points into the ground.  SO4 is a legend for having the most pointlessly lengthy cutscenes for a reason.

Yeah agreed, thats what i was refferring to with pacing. but i think a lot of people who get GTA are just kids who skip the cutscenes and go around killing people. some dont even bother after the first few missions. i know a few people who do that. and i know people who hate cutscenes in RDR and GTA also.

Now the meat of my argument is this: Younger gamers aren't patient enough. 

They don't want to sit through some long cutscene or use a battle-system that requires thought, they just want to play GTA and kill some bitches, or play CoD and call the other team bitches. Half the time, if a game isn't multiplayer, they don't even look at it. This isn't only happening with JRPGs, it's already happened with adventure games and "hard-core" computer (aka "western") RPGs. In fact, it seems that every genre is being dumbed down in some way. It's not a matter of JRPGs not evolving, it's that everything else is devolving.

/rant.

I thinks it's partially because of the younger generation of gamers. I've never liked JRPGs, but that's just my personal preference, as I like games that require skill and strategy, and most JRPGs seem to only require strategy. I also find their stories to be too linear and restrictive for a Role-playing game (emphasis on the role-playing). The only JRPG I've ever like (outside of Pokemon) is Yakuza 3, and it may not even classify as a JRPG at all. That being said, I can see the appeal.

Now the meat of my argument is this: Younger gamers aren't patient enough. 

They don't want to sit through some long cutscene or use a battle-system that requires thought, they just want to play GTA and kill some bitches, or play CoD and call the other team bitches. Half the time, if a game isn't multiplayer, they don't even look at it. This isn't only happening with JRPGs, it's already happened with adventure games and "hard-core" computer (aka "western") RPGs. In fact, it seems that every genre is being dumbed down in some way. It's not a matter of JRPGs not evolving, it's that everything else is devolving.

/rant.

If anything, JRPGs aren't popular because they aren't marketed enough/well.  Not because 'young gamers aren't interested/patent'.

The evidence is in the sales.  What JRPGs are the most popular outside of Japan?  The ones that have the most consistent and highest amount of marketing.  Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon and Mario RPG series.

Also, if anything, WRPGs (and games like GTA that you cited) are flowing more to the trend of extra long cutscenes and catering to western gamers obsession with graphics.  JRPGs, aside from ones like Final Fantasy and Tales, are actually lowering their emphasis on graphics and cutscenes for more gameplay and content.