History Main / RemadeForTheExport

* ''VideoGame/CrimzonClover'' is a Japan-only release, but the game has no UsefulNotes/RegionCoding and simply requires a PC with enough power to take it and a modern version of Windows. ''Crimzon Clover for [=NESiCAxLive=]'' is not only Japan-only, but is limited to the ''[=NESiCAxLive=]'' platform, a digital distribution service for arcade cabinets with service limited to Japan. ''[=CCfNxL=]'' was ported back to PC as ''Crimzon Clover WORLD IGNITION'' and released internatonally with seven language options, including English and Japanese.

* ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun'' was a Japan-only vertical scrolling shooter released in 1998, despite being praised by the overseas critics. However, its SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', was released internationally on [=GameCube=]. ''RS'' was rereleased internationally on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade in 2011, 13 years after its original release.

[[Administrivia/ExampleAsAThesis Imagine this]]: You're the American branch of a Japanese game company. Your company has a catalog of successful, long-running franchises that could stretch across the Pacific; problem is, a good portion of them [[NoExportForYou never actually made that jump themselves.]] Can you be blamed? It's not like the U.S. had a market in the early 90's for anything with more text than a hearty [[BlindIdiotTranslation "Congraturation!"]] or more strategy than [[GoombaStomp "jump on the enemies]] and [[EverythingTryingToKillYou don't get hit"]] (and even if there was, that's the company line and you're sticking with it).

Honestly, not much. Not on your own, anyway. But your Japanese branch likes money just as much as you do, and seeing how many of the titles the U.S. fans want happen to already be well-established classics in Japan, you can expect them to get ''[[VideoGameRemake remade]]''. They port the game to a new system, slap a fresh coat of paint on it and append a fresh subtitle to the name, and you can then localize the brand-new version, proudly declaring on all the merchandising (and maybe on the packaging too) that it's "a lost adventure available outside of Japan for the first time ever!"

** ''Gyakuten Saiban'' ("Turnabout Court") was originally a trilogy of Japan-only adventure games released on [[Platform/GameBoyAdvance GBA]], starring [[BunnyEarsLawyer pointy-haired lawyer]] Ryuuichi Naruhodo and pitting the player against a set of diabolically-contrived frame jobs in order to see his innocent clients cleared of their charges and the guilty parties brought to justice. Featuring a strange blend of oddball humor and murder most foul, the games never saw the light of day in the U.S.... That is, until Creator/{{Capcom}} decided to remake the first title as a [[Platform/NintendoDS DS]] game: As it would give Japanese players the option to play the game in English, Capcom figured that they may as well try giving the game a U.S. release a shot, dubbing the game ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]'', with the {{punny name}}s of characters changed into puns easier for English-speaking players to get. Its resounding success inspired Capcom to bring its sequels to the US as well.

* Although the original arcade version of ''VideoGame/BattleGaregga'' was released in the U.S., China, and Europe, the Platform/SegaSaturn port [[NoExportForYou wasn't]]. It took 20 years for the game to have a consumer port for those regions, when ''Battle Garegga Rev.2016'' was released not only in Japan for [=PS4=] and Xbox One, but the rest of the world as well (including regions that never got the arcade version).

** A remake of the fourth game was made for [=PlayStation=] and announced for the U.S., but due to the aforementioned development team disbanding, it never came to fruition without someone to program the game to implement the English script, and the frustration continued when ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' was remade for Platform/PlayStation2. Finally, post-merger Creator/SquareEnix came through for the U.S. market, delivering the "Zenithian Trilogy" -- ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestV V]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI VI]]'' -- all on Nintendo DS.
** While the U.S. had never seen the ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV DQIV]]'' remake before 2008, Europe had never seen DQIV ''at all,'' or any of the preceding games, originally leading to the curious decision to ax the numbers from the European titles and refer to them [[StoppedNumberingSequels solely by their subtitles]] of ''[[AlliterativeName "Chapters of the Chosen"]]'' and ''[[AlliterativeName "Hand of the Heavenly Bride"]]'', possibly in a vain attempt to hide this fact, though ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' were released with the numbers intact. Thanks to Internet, nobody was fooled by the ones with the numbers removed.

** Due to fact that Nintendo released ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' a bit late in the American market (three years after the Japanese release to be precise), ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' for the NES were skipped, with their numbers being appropriated by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''; ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' for the SNES was also passed over for American release, and no ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games came out in Europe before ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. After ''FFVII'' for the Platform/PlayStation brought the series international recognition, Square released remakes of five of the previous six games for that system (generally in [[CompilationRerelease two-packs]]) in the U.S. and Europe with their proper titles. The actual ''Final Fantasy III'' was the one older ''Final Fantasy'' game which never saw release on the [=PlayStation=] nor Game Boy Advance, but it was later remade for the Platform/NintendoDS with a massive overhaul and finally saw its long-awaited international release. That being said, fans outside of Japan couldn't officially experience a version of ''FFIII'' based more closely on the original Famicom version released in 1990, notably featuring four nameless Onion Knights as the protagonists instead of the four named characters from the DS remake. That changed ''31 years'' later with the release of its ''Pixel Remaster'' remake in 2021.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' was [[BlindIdiotTranslation translated to Engrish]] and released in the USA, but it never saw the light in Europe until the [=PSP=] port, with a much better translation.

* ''Franchise/MagiNation'' did this in reverse, taking a U.S.-made Platform/GameBoyColor game and giving it a Platform/GameBoyAdvance remake that was exclusive to Japan (though they changed the DeadpanSnarker hero into an IdiotHero).

** ''VideoGame/FantasyZone'' was ported to the NES by Tengen in the U.S., but by Sunsoft in Japan. The Sunsoft version sports graphics that are a bit more colorful but also a bit more cramped. Its music may be more accurate in its bassline, but the Tengen version's music sounds more complete overall. For some reason, Tengen also reduced the number of targets per stage from eight to six.

** And even then, the American version contained [[PALBonus NA Bonuses]], which were faithfully ported to the 3DS version.

* ''VideoGame/MedabotsMetabeeAndRokusho'' is a Game Boy Advance remake of ''Medarot 2: Kabuto and Kuwagata'' for the Game Boy Color, released to capitalize on the ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'' anime that was airing internationally.[[note]]The anime is heavily based on ''Medarot 2'', which is why it was remade instead of the first ''Medarot''.[[/note]] Japan was actually the ''last'' region to see a full retail release of the game.

* The ''VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub'' duology, probably due to their heavy subject matter (both games are murder mysteries) and text-heavy nature (which Nintendo may have seen as unlikely to appeal to Western audiences), evaded any form of export for quite some time. For a lot of Western Nintendo fans, it was simply known as "[[MarthDebutedInSmashBros the game where that one schoolgirl Trophy]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' comes from" (her only other appearance outside Japan was as an unlockable costume in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker''). In 2021, it was announced that the remakes originally thought to be Japan-only would actually be seeing international release that same year.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'': The original game, known in Japan as ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', was originally exclusive to that country due to Nintendo of America's reluctance to import it ([[DolledUpInstallment adapting]] ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'' for the Western version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' instead), but was then brought overseas when it was remade for the SNES as part of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioAllStars'', with several changes to make its difficulty more bearable. A somewhat altered remake was included on ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' for the Platform/GameBoyColor, unlockable after completing the first game. The Famicom Disk System version was eventually released on thePlatform/{{Wii}}'s (and later systems') UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole service outside of Japan and is sold as ''The Lost Levels'', though the actual game is unaltered (i.e. the title screen still says "Super Mario Bros. 2").

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature [[DistaffCounterpart For Girl]]'' was never released on its home console, the [=PlayStation=], outside of Japan but was directly ported to the Platform//PlayStationPortable.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', released in 2001, was a victim of this, just like its [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]] ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun''. The original arcade game, as well as [[Platform/ Dreamcast]] port, were Japan-only. The [=GameCube=] port was made for international markets in 2003, two years after its original release.

** A remake of the fourth game was made for [=PlayStation=] and announced for the U.S., but due to the aforementioned development team disbanding, it never came to fruition without someone to program the game to implement the English script, and the frustration continued when ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' was remade for Platform//PlayStation2. Finally, post-merger Creator/SquareEnix came through for the U.S. market, delivering the "Zenithian Trilogy" -- ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestV V]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI VI]]'' -- all on Nintendo DS.

* ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'' did this for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance, remaking the second game for the Game Boy Color (''Medarot 2'') for it (''Medarot 2 Core'') when the anime was released in America. However, they didn't continue to export the next games of the franchise (remade or not) because it ''died'' in Japan around 2004 (and eventually ''Medarot DS'' was released on 2009, with [[NoExportForYou no export for the West]].

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure'' went unreleased in the west for years due to a variety of reasons [[labelnote:note]] The company that made the PC port going under, the PSP being discontinued among others [[/labelnote]]. It wasn't until 2022 and 2023 that players are able to play the duology with NISA and the Geofront fan translation team using the ''Kai'' version.

** Clips from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tugs}}'' were chopped up and reycled as part of ''WesternAnimation/SaltysLighthouse'', where they would play in 5-minute segments that showed what the tugboats in the harbor did when nobody was around.
** The 1997 version of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' was a VarietyShow with various live action segments all tied to a theme with Mr. Men stories in between.

** Early United States-version episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'' featured segments about Caillou's cat Gilbert and his toys Rexy and Teddy going on adventures, along with live action segments with children called the Cailettes.

** ''Gyakuten Saiban'' ("Turnabout Court") was originally a trilogy of Japan-only adventure games released on [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]], starring [[BunnyEarsLawyer pointy-haired lawyer]] Ryuuichi Naruhodo and pitting the player against a set of diabolically-contrived frame jobs in order to see his innocent clients cleared of their charges and the guilty parties brought to justice. Featuring a strange blend of oddball humor and murder most foul, the games never saw the light of day in the U.S.... That is, until Creator/{{Capcom}} decided to remake the first title as a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DS]] game: As it would give Japanese players the option to play the game in English, Capcom figured that they may as well try giving the game a U.S. release a shot, dubbing the game ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]'', with the {{punny name}}s of characters changed into puns easier for English-speaking players to get. Its resounding success inspired Capcom to bring its sequels to the US as well.
** ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' games on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS were not localized nor were the mobile ports, but the games were later announced to be released worldwide in 2021 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in the form of a CompilationRerelease.

* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing2001'' is an enhanced version of ''Dōbutsu no Mori+'', the initial [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] port of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 original, and was the first game in [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing the series]] to be released outside Japan. Much of the game, including its character models, furniture, and holidays, were reworked to have a less uniquely Japanese and more "international" feeling, as the localization team wished to give players outside of Japan the same experience worldwide. The original development team was so impressed that they imported these changes back into the Japanese version with ''Dōbutsu no Mori e+'', adding even more new features atop of that.
* ''VideoGame/AnotherCode'''s sequel, ''Another Code: R - A Journey Into Lost Memories'' for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, was only released in Japan and Europe and never saw a North American or Australian release. It wouldn't be until the 2024 remake of both games, ''Another Code: Recollection'', that the game would finally see a release there.
* Inverted with ''VideoGame/BalloonKid'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/BalloonFight''. The original UsefulNotes/GameBoy game was only released in the West, but there was a UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor version titled ''Balloon Fight GB'' that was released almost a decade later. There was also an earlier [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] port titled ''Franchise/HelloKitty World'' that [[DolledUpInstallment replaces all the original characters with Sanrio ones]].
* Although the original arcade version of ''VideoGame/BattleGaregga'' was released in the U.S., China, and Europe, the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn port [[NoExportForYou wasn't]]. It took 20 years for the game to have a consumer port for those regions, when ''Battle Garegga Rev.2016'' was released not only in Japan for [=PS4=] and Xbox One, but the rest of the world as well (including regions that never got the arcade version).
* ''Bomberman '94'', the third and final ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' game for the PC Engine, was ported to the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and released in the west under the name of ''Mega Bomberman'' after sales of the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 were discontinued in the States. There were no ''Bomberman'' games for the Japanese Mega Drive.
* Due to the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 never taking off in the U.K., ''[[VideoGame/{{Bonk}} Bonk's Adventure]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' were instead ported to the Amiga under the titles of ''B.C. Kid'' and ''Dyna Blaster'' respectively (with ''Dyna Blaster'' receiving additional ports for Atari ST and IBM compatibles).

** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaTheDraculaXChronicles'' for the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] was made primarily because the original ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] never had an overseas release before (the [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaDraculaX SNES version]] of ''Dracula X'' was a ReformulatedGame that simply adapted the same plot and game system into entirely new stages). The game contains both, a remake and the original, as well as its sequel ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.

* The 1991 PC Engine CD-ROM game ''[[Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra Cobra II: The Legendary Man]]'' was ported to the UsefulNotes/SegaCD and released in North America in 1995 under the title of ''The Space Adventure''.

* When Creator/{{Capcom}} originally made the ''VideoGame/DisneysMagicalQuest'' trilogy for the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], the third installment never made it out of Japan. When the series was remade for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in the early-to-mid 2000s, the third game was finally exported to countries outside Japan.
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Land]] III'', three years after being released in North America and Europe, made it to Japan in the form of a UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor remake (titled ''Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong'') that was released nowhere else.

** The whole series is a curious case: While its popularity in Japan has never spread beyond its borders, it's one of the few franchises where the publishers didn't monkey with the numbers to hide missing entries. Adding to the bizarreness is that it was never the publisher's decision not to release the missing games outside of Japan: it was the ''developers.'' Given the choice between localizing their latest title for the overseas market and starting work on a sequel, they chose the latter -- twice in succession -- thus condemning ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' to import-only status for many years and leaving a curious gap between the fourth (for NES) and seventh (for UsefulNotes/PlayStation) entries.
** A remake of the fourth game was made for [=PlayStation=] and announced for the U.S., but due to the aforementioned development team disbanding, it never came to fruition without someone to program the game to implement the English script, and the frustration continued when ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' was remade for UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Finally, post-merger Creator/SquareEnix came through for the U.S. market, delivering the "Zenithian Trilogy" -- ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestV V]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI VI]]'' -- all on Nintendo DS.

** Due to fact that Nintendo released ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' a bit late in the American market (three years after the Japanese release to be precise), ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' for the NES were skipped, with their numbers being appropriated by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''; ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' for the SNES was also passed over for American release, and no ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games came out in Europe before ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. After ''FFVII'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation brought the series international recognition, Square released remakes of five of the previous six games for that system (generally in [[CompilationRerelease two-packs]]) in the U.S. and Europe with their proper titles. The actual ''Final Fantasy III'' was the one older ''Final Fantasy'' game which never saw release on the [=PlayStation=] nor Game Boy Advance, but it was later remade for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS with a massive overhaul and finally saw its long-awaited international release. That being said, fans outside of Japan couldn't officially experience a version of ''FFIII'' based more closely on the original Famicom version released in 1990, notably featuring four nameless Onion Knights as the protagonists instead of the four named characters from the DS remake. That changed ''31 years'' later with the release of its ''Pixel Remaster'' remake in 2021.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' was first introduced to Western gamers through the appearance of Marth (from the original ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Fire Emblem]]'' for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]]) and Roy (from the then-upcoming ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'') in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee''. Shortly afterward, Creator/{{Nintendo}} began releasing the series outside Japan, beginning with ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade''[[note]]funnily enough, this was a prequel to Roy's game, which had released a year prior and still has yet to receive a Western release of any kind[[/note]]. So far, three of the six preceding ''Fire Emblem'' games have slowly undergone the remake process; the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragon first]] and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem third]] games were remade for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS (though only first remake was exported), while [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden the second]] was remade for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS as ''Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'' [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening following]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates a]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes huge]] NewbieBoom.
* A UsefulNotes/NintendoDS remake of the original ''VideoGame/FrontMission1'' was released in North America, after Creator/SquareEnix had released two later sequels there.

** Then, when ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Gundam SEED]]'' came to the States, its own action game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 was remade as ''Battle Assault 3'', becoming a 3D fighter (and gaining Wing Zero, Tallgeese, God Gundam, and Master Gundam, their character models taken from the earlier game ''Encounters in Space'').
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature [[DistaffCounterpart For Girl]]'' was never released on its home console, the [=PlayStation=], outside of Japan but was directly ported to the UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', released in 2001, was a victim of this, just like its [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]] ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun''. The original arcade game, as well as [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port, were Japan-only. The [=GameCube=] port was made for international markets in 2003, two years after its original release.

* The ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' game for the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation was remade for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} as a ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'' game, with an added BeatEmUp mode. Bonus export remake points: Developer Eighting recycled the engine and many assets from the [=PlayStation=] 2 game ''VideoGame/KamenRiderClimaxHeroes''. In turn, the stuff created for ''Dragon Knight'' was recycled by adding the rest of the ''Ryuki'' cast to ''Climax Heroes OOO''.

** The [[UpdatedRerelease Final Mix]] versions of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI I]]'', ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'' at long last made it to Western shores as part of the ''HD [=ReMIX=]'' collections for [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4]]. This was also the first time the European region got ''Re:Chain of Memories''.

* Nearly thirty years after its original, Japanese-exclusive release, ''VideoGame/LiveALive'' got this treatment in 2022 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, with new HD-2D graphics akin to Creator/SquareEnix's other games at the time, such as ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' and ''VideoGame/TriangleStrategy'', and full voice acting.
* ''Franchise/MagiNation'' did this in reverse, taking a U.S.-made UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor game and giving it a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance remake that was exclusive to Japan (though they changed the DeadpanSnarker hero into an IdiotHero).
* Over time, [=MangaGamer=] has been remaking older {{Visual Novel}}s in modern engines for the English releases, such as ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', which was remade in UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} in 2009/2010, and ''A Kiss for the Petals: Remembering How We Met'', which was remade in UsefulNotes/RenPy in 2015, roughly half a year after its original Japanese release.

* ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'' did this for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, remaking the second game for the Game Boy Color (''Medarot 2'') for it (''Medarot 2 Core'') when the anime was released in America. However, they didn't continue to export the next games of the franchise (remade or not) because it ''died'' in Japan around 2004 (and eventually ''Medarot DS'' was released on 2009, with [[NoExportForYou no export for the West]].
* The original UsefulNotes/{{MSX}}2 versions of ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' were never released outside Japan (with the exception of an English version of the first game that came out in Europe). Around the time ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' came out, Konami remade both games for mobile phones, although these were still strictly Japanese releases. It wasn't until their inclusion in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence]]'' that both games saw a proper international release.

** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter4'' on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS stayed in Japan, but its UpdatedRerelease ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' saw an international release. It retains all the content from its original version and adds its own, robust content for a more complete experience.

* ''Psychic World'', a side-scrolling action game for the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and UsefulNotes/GameGear, is a remake of an [=MSX2=] game titled ''Psycho World''. Notably the Master System version was only released in Europe.
* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris'' had caught the interest of many international gamers back during its release in 2014. Despite this, the game was hit by a case of NoExportForYou, thanks in part to Creator/{{Ubisoft}} holding much of the ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' license outside of Japan. For a while, the game seemed like it would get no international release due to being ScrewedByTheLawyers. But then, they made a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version, and Creator/{{Sega}} used the opportunity to get the ''Tetris'' license for that system outright. As an added bonus, they were even able to [[LoopholeAbuse find a technicality in Ubisoft's license]] that allowed them to bring over the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 version as well.

* ''Rockman & Forte'' was released exclusively in Japan for the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]] in 1998 (which was pretty late during its lifespan, since the platform was already discontinued in the West and the succeeding UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 had been around for two years) and then ported to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2003, in which it received an official western release as ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Romancing SaGa}}: Minstrel Song'' is a [=PS2=] remake of the SNES ''[=Romancing SaGa=]''. Until its release in 2005, none of the ''Romancing'' trilogy had reached stateside -- though the rest of the ''VideoGame/{{SaGa|RPG}}'' games arrived on their original platforms. ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa2'' was later remade for [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]] and mobile, but the Vita version wasn't released in English until 2017 where the game was also ported to [=PS4=], UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and PC. ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa3'' followed suit two years later on the same platforms. Strangely, the DS remakes of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendIII'' were never localized, despite having brought over the original UsefulNotes/GameBoy versions.
* The American version of ''VideoGame/ShenmueII'' for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] was canceled a few months before its scheduled release date, so an UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} port was released in its place a year later in 2002. Europe got both the Dreamcast version (which kept the Japanese voice acting and added subtitles) and the Xbox port.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaCD version of ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' was made exclusively for the overseas market and never had a domestic Japanese release (although it was made using the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] version as its base). Bonus points to the localization team for expanding the ending and explaining what happens to [[spoiler:[[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Mika, Katrina and Napoleon before Gillian leaves for Moscow]]]].

* The original ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' was never released stateside; the franchise didn't gain ground in America until the coming of ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory''. In 2008, however, Creator/TriAce released [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] remakes for not only ''Second Story'' (as ''Star Ocean: Second Evolution'') but, before that, the original (as ''Star Ocean: First Departure'').
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'': The original game, known in Japan as ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', was originally exclusive to that country due to Nintendo of America's reluctance to import it ([[DolledUpInstallment adapting]] ''VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic'' for the Western version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' instead), but was then brought overseas when it was remade for the SNES as part of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioAllStars'', with several changes to make its difficulty more bearable. A somewhat altered remake was included on ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, unlockable after completing the first game. The Famicom Disk System version was eventually released on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s (and later systems') UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole service outside of Japan and is sold as ''The Lost Levels'', though the actual game is unaltered (i.e. the title screen still says "Super Mario Bros. 2").

** Although the original version of ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' was released in English in North America, Europe and Australia didn't get it at all. However, they did get the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS UpdatedRerelease.

* The ''Tantei Jinguuji Saburo'' VisualNovel series remained Japan-only for two decades, until the original three games for the Famicom Disk System were remade for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS as ''VisualNovel/JakeHunter: Detective Chronicles''.
* While ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' ended up getting a 3D remake for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, it was predated by the latter console's ''[[CompilationRerelease Collection of Mana]]'', which includes the original game's first-ever release outside of Japan. In fact, the original plan was to just remake the game for international release, but the staff of Creator/SquareEnix's Western divisions convinced the ''Mana'' series producer to make the original UsefulNotes/{{Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}} version available worldwide as well.

* The first two ''VideoGame/{{Valis}}'' games were originally for the UsefulNotes/{{PC88}}, UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} and other Japanese computers; the internationally released versions were the considerably redesigned remakes for the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis.
* Inverted with ''[[VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap]]'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem. The game was meant to be released in Japan as well under the name of ''Monster World II'', but the sudden discontinuation of the Sega Mark III in that region caused the game to be canceled. The game was eventually released in Japan, in the form of a [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] remake titled ''Adventure Island'' (retitled ''Dragon's Curse'' in the west to avoid confusion with Hudson's own ''VideoGame/AdventureIsland'' series), and later as a straight UsefulNotes/GameGear port of the original Master System title.

* ''XZR II'' originally was a Japan-only computer game, but when it was greatly overhauled as ''Exile'' for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 TurboGrafx-CD]], both console versions were translated.
* The combined remake of ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} Book [[VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen I]] & [[VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter II]]'' for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 Turbo CD]] is an unusual example: the original ''Ys'' was previously released outside Japan in the forms of stand-alone ports for the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and IBM PC, but not ''Ys II''.

** Due to fact that Nintendo released ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' a bit late in the American market (three years after the Japanese release to be precise), ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' for the NES were skipped, with their numbers being appropriated by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''; ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' for the SNES was also passed over for American release, and no ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games came out in Europe before ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. After ''FFVII'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation brought the series international recognition, Square released remakes of five of the previous six games for that system (generally in [[CompilationRerelease two-packs]]) in the U.S. and Europe with their proper titles. The actual ''Final Fantasy III'' was the one older ''Final Fantasy'' game which never saw release on the [=PlayStation=], but it was later remade for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS with a massive overhaul and finally saw its long-awaited international release.
*** Despite this, the 2D version of Final Fantasy III, with it's orginal unaltered plot (4 nameless Onion Knights being the heros rather then 4 children with names) was never released in any way in English until the release of the Pixel Remaster.