Square-Enix discusses why the SaGa games never had a breakthrough moment in the states

Both Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace are going to see release on Switch in the West, but it's not the first time the SaGa series has launched outside of Japan. The thing is, the series just didn't seem to catch on, but Square-Enix wants to give things another go. In an interview with Game Informer, Square-Enix's Akitoshi Kawazu explains why he believes the franchise never got off the ground when originally localized.

Even before localizing the games, the company kind of had the mindset that SaGa series games there were a little too intricate. They're difficult, maybe too much. So the company kind of perceived that the Western audience was looking for something that was more, maybe a little bit more simple, more action-oriented. That is kind of why even before we got the localization part, they were hesitant to release the titles in the West. The company just had that mindset that it would be too rigid. Like having too many choices combined with the difficult gameplay for the Western audience, they had the perception that it wouldn’t resonate and it never got the chance.