''Harvest Moon'' is a farm

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

series published by Natsume Inc. The main objective of the games is to rebuild a run-down old farm and turn it into a successful one. Previously, Natsume Inc. published the series '' Bokujō Monogatari'' in North America under the title ''Harvest Moon''. In 2014, Marvelous, the developer and original publisher of the ''Bokujō Monogatari'' series, decided to have their own American division,

Xseed Games Xseed Games is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. It later became a subsidiary of the Japanese game company Marvelous, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related mat ...

, take over North American distribution. However, due to Natsume Inc. owning the rights to the ''Harvest Moon'' name, the latest titles in the series were rebranded '' Story of Seasons'', while Natsume Inc. began to produce their own series under the ''Harvest Moon'' name.

Origins

The name "''Harvest Moon''" was originally used for the series created by Marvelous known in Japan as . Natsume Inc. initially distributed this series under the name ''Harvest Moon'' outside of Japan until 2014. At that time, Natsume Inc. maintained the rights to the Harvest Moon series name after Marvelous announced that it would have its subsidiary,

, take over North American distribution. Because of this, Xseed began localizing the series to North America under the ''Story of Seasons'' title, beginning with the release of the game of the same name. In 2007, Natsume Inc. took the opportunity to develop their own video game series using the name ''Harvest Moon'' in North America and Europe, and in 2014, it released '' Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley,'' the first farm simulator game in the new series. The resulting spin-off series, at least since ''Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley'', has caused some degree of confusion among fans and video game news sources, due to the game not actually being a part of the same series as the games titled ''Harvest Moon'' before it.

List of games

Reception

Notes

References

External links

Natsume official site
* {{Harvest Moon Natsume Inc. games Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2007