How many fucking Wii consoles are out there? Eleventy Billion? Why does it matter that Nintendo is dominating the console war if the games that matter don't sell.Madworld, which came out fairly early in the month, sold a pathetic 66k in March.
Nintendo HAS created a different market. Yes, the industry did grow, but those people that are the new consumers in this market are not buying anything but casual games. Who does this help?? Big publishers who can churn shit out to make the money to fund the projects they actually want to be making? Nintendo, EA, Activision??? The smaller companies who, god forbid, only have teams who want to make real games--what are they supposed to do? Give up? Make Mini Ninjas?
So guess what? Third party games, that are not Guitar games, DO NOT SELL for shit on Nintendo systems. Sure there are some exceptions, but guess what else also sold like shit last month? Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars--a game from possibly the biggest hardcore franchise in the industry, a game that received stellar reviews (sits around 94% on GameRankings), a game that only had a Teen rating, did not make the top 10 games sold in March--it didn't even break 90k. A fucking Grand Theft Auto game!
There is no PS2 this generation. There is no PS1 this generation. Meaning? There is no "sure thing" that developers can put their games out on. From the smallest dev teams to the biggest publishers, during the last two console generations, companies had a console that they KNEW had the audience they needed to sell their game.
I have no doubt that Madworld WOULD have sold way more on PS3 or 360. Why? It has a lower install base and a higher game price. So why? Because we are the people who would have bought the game. So do you all own Wiis? Did you all buy the game? Who owns a Wii and chose not to buy the game? Would you have bought the game if it were on PS3 or 360?
This isn't Nintendo's fault. I think we just need to come to the realization that this hobby of ours that we all love so much--the industry that spawns it has never belonged to us. You know why PS2 was a success? Because Madden was on PS2. Because GTA was on PS2. Because the PS2 was affordable. Not because PS2 had Shadow of the Colossus or Okami. The mainstream, non enthusiast consumers have always determined the fate of the industry. Well... their interests have changed it seems.
Who needs a cool new action game when we could just play Guitar Hero? Who needs a $400 console, when we can play Guitar Hero on a $200 one? Oh look... we won't have to save up money and buy it ourselves because Mom wants Wii Fit.
66,000. For shame. What does Platinum Games do now? Hopefully Bayonetta will do a bit better.
Brad
12 comments:
I didn't buy MadWorld, and I have a Wii. I definitely would have bought it, day one, if it was on 360 or PS3. I still plan on picking it up one day, though. I'll be buying Bayonetta right away though.
"When it comes to the GTA:CW sales figures, I'm left wondering how much of a factor the DS's piracy problem played."
(Twitter of Jeff Gerstmann from Giantbomb.)
The piracy of DS games is getting pretty big where I am. No one is really buying games anymore, as everyone seems to have R4s and TTDSNs. I'm sure that accounts for some aspect of the low sales, but its probably not the main reason.
*sniff* *sniff*, that was beautiful brad,I give your speech a 5 out of 5, the same 5 out of out 5 that was given to China Town wars that noone bought but the people who truely understand the true meaning of a good game! I beleave that the gamers sould be blamed for the pathetic sales of Chinatown Wars and Madworld. The DS and Wii are certainly aimed at broader audiences than the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360, certainly there are a percentage of "core" gamers that own each system. Let's low-ball each installed base and say that the "hardcore" segment of each is around 10 percent. That would leave use with around 3.4-million DS owners and 2.2-million Wii owners in America. You're telling me that with this fractional subsection of these respective installed bases, only 89,000 units of Chinatown Wars and 66,000 units of MadWorld were sold? Really?!?
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/694849/Gamers-Should-Be-Blamed-For-The-Pathetic-Sales-Of-Chinatown-Wars-And-MadWorld.html
Could piracy be one of the major reasons why most of these games aren't doing very well for the Wii? Or is it those damn games that lure in those soccer moms that we gamers consider as shovelware? Sometimes I wish some of the unique games that uses the Wiimote's capabilities (which shouldn't) wasn't on the Wii, especially Madworld.
I'm extremely surprised that China Town Wars did so horrible on sales. If it was a GTA game, it would sell like freaking hot cakes. I assume that the majority's first impressions of the game wasn't impressed of the overhead view (or the classic GTA1 style). But still from a friend of mine who picked up the game, he said it is extremely fun.
I have a Wii and I didn't buy Madworld because of money issues. I don't think Madworld was advertised very well which could also play a part in its low sales. I believe it would have done better if it had been released on PS3 or Xbox360. I was pretty surprised Madworld was released on the Wii considering the audience that the Wii mainly targets.
Before the Chinatown wars came out, I thought it wouldn't do as well because of graphics alone. People are so used to playing with PS2,PS3,Xbox360 GTA that playing a GTA on the DS would be "weird?".
MadWorld is probably one of the most niche titles that could be. I know you look at it and see all the violence and think that must appeal to a wide range of people but stylized games just don't sell well. I think even Wind Waker, a highly stylized game from one of the biggest first party franchises, didn't sell as well as it's counterparts did.
Also, you address that the industry is changing and it is very true. There is no PS2 this generation, which that pulled a good balance of "hardcore" and "casual" consumers. But there are some pretty glaring issues with your argument.
Games sales in general, especially on the Wii/DS, have much longer life spans than they use to. Just some examples right off the bat: Zack & Wiki, No More Heroes, and Boom Blox. The first two being games that catered to the "hardcore/enthuist" and the last being a game championed by the "hardcore" with more "casual" appeal.
Boom Blox sold less than 60,000 in the first month it was released. Now the sales YTD have reached around a million. Zack & Wiki sold around 30,000 in the first month but then went on to sell more than 300,000 copies which, considering the small team that worked on it, would be considered a success. No More Heroes sold very poorly in the first few months in Japan and NA but had longer legs like the aforementioned games and really took off in Europe.
Saying the game would have sold better on a PS3 or 360 is a fallacy as well. The development costs are so much higher for those consoles I really don't believe it would have garnered enough sales to counter this fact.
I believe you are calling it dead before it's final breath.
- school
The majority of hardcore gamers now are only interested in shooters anyway, like COD4-5 or Halo, or Gears.
I know its not everyone, but their are a lot of people who only play Cod4 and nothing else
The Wii is more of a console that is pushed towards the "casual gamer" as we all know. My little brother has a Wii and he rarely gets any games on the system; the last game being Super Smash Bros Brawl. If you look on the shelves of many game retail stores, you won't see titles like "Call Of Duty 5: Wii Edition" the audience just isn't looking for those type of games.
The Wii has had more than enough time to prove that it was going to actually compete against the 360 and PS3. In these three years prior to release it has proved it was just a console that would sell many units but, have a disappointing amount of video game sales. I was really hoping that Twilight Princess would sell great and it did just the opposite on the Wii.
I think I'm done for now.
Just gonna be short and sweet 'cause I'm in a ranting mood and no one wants that. Don't own a Wii, but was interested in playing Madworld. Would have bought it if it were on 360 or PS3.
-Oreo
Very apt summary of the situation from Brad:the Mad!Edition. What happens indeed now that the hardcore gamers have, for the first time, been separated from the herd of casual gamers in terms of the consoles they own? It not only brings out the difference in number between the two populations in sharper relief, but has definite ramifications for the resources that will split between pleasing the two types of gamers. Which hardware will benefit more from developers' money and artisanal energies? The answer is not good news for those of us in the smaller and less numerous herd.
I'd say that if this was released on PS3 or 360 it would have been within my sweating hairy palms within a nanosecond. But I am without a wii so I am unable to delve into this wonderous fountain of red in it's stylised black & white beackgrounds.
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