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NPD Sales Results for February 2013 [Up5: Dead Space 3, Crysis 3, Official PS3/WiiU]

AZ Greg

Member
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Hmm...

Reggie gonna be contributing to our unemployment numbers soon...
 

jett

D-Member
I've asked this before, but how many bombs does Ninja Theory need to make before pubs stop giving them work? Far better developers died that didn't do nearly as badly as Ninja Theory does. 3 AAA games from 3 different publishers (Sony, Namco, and now Capcom). All of them a bomb. Despite that NT still seems to get work. I can't explain it.

Maybe they work on the cheap. DmC did ship 1 million units, that's about 30-40 million in Capcom's pocket, it may have actually broke even, who knows.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I've asked this before, but how many bombs does Ninja Theory need to make before pubs stop giving them work? Far better developers died that didn't do nearly as badly as Ninja Theory does. 3 AAA games from 3 different publishers (Sony, Namco, and now Capcom). All of them a bomb. Despite that NT still seems to get work. I can't explain it.

I dunno. They probably pitch well. Their "game style" is in vogue. They haven't bombed for everybody yet. There honestly aren't that many non-shit tier independent studios left these days.

Conversely, they're in an expensive development market, they're not fast with their games, and they have a track record of bombs.
 

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
I've asked this before, but how many bombs does Ninja Theory need to make before pubs stop giving them work? Far better developers died that didn't do nearly as badly as Ninja Theory does. 3 AAA games from 3 different publishers (Sony, Namco, and now Capcom). All of them a bomb. Despite that NT still seems to get work. I can't explain it.

None of those bombings were Ninja Theory's fault though. Especially for Enslaved or DmC. As long as their games continue reviewing well and get a lot of press/attention, I don't see why any publisher would view them as toxic.

I would also managed Ninja Theory has a good relation with publishers and meets their deadlines (which matters a lot).
 

HoJu

Member
So what was it that pushed Awakening's sales above the earlier games in the series?
Word of mouth? High metascore? Starved 3DS owners?
There was next to no marketing, and it didn't really get any attention by the press pre-release.

I wonder if the inevitable sequel will have the same success.
 

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Some people get to keep making bombas forever. Tim Schafer is a bomba making machine yet he keeps going like nothing ever happened.

They might be commercial bombs but yo.. Heavenly Sword and Enslaved are good fuckin games. I suspect if I played DMC it'd be a good game too. I have no idea why people do not buy their games but happily buy shit like Aliens.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
Some people get to keep making bombas forever. Tim Schafer is a bomba making machine yet he keeps going like nothing ever happened.
The scope of Tim's games has changed drastically, though.

None of those bombings were Ninja Theory's fault though. Especially for Enslaved or DmC. As long as their games continue reviewing well and get a lot of press/attention, I don't see why any publisher would view them as toxic.

What do you mean not NT's fault? Are you only attributing "blame" for bombs to studios if the games are poorly received?
 

Alex

Member
Yes, my exact thoughts. And don't everything so tedious and slow to play through.

Personally, I'm fine with everything else in NNK sans the combat, which takes the entire game down several notches. It's quite poorly balanced, unnecessarily clunky and senseless and it's artificially drawn out (to such an extent I haven't seen in years outside of the enforced jank in Pokemon) and combined with the frequency of combat can really wreck pacing. I don't personally know a single person who finished NNK just due to the combat, well, besides me, but I can temper the annoyance by bitching about it!

Level-5's "quirk" absolutely kills combat systems, I think this has been quite proven over the past decade and they need to give it up and bring in someone better to do the job.

I still like the game though, just because it's such a pretty, well crafted world with so much content. Kind of how I feel about the latest Fire Emblem to a lesser extent, my complaints with tuning and areas of meek design is carried by the fact that the game is a shining ball of polish that makes it hard to put down.

It's also made up for by EO4, which is brilliantly designed AND a shining ball of polish, aw yiss.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
So what is it that pushed Awakening's sales above the earlier games in the series?
Word of mouth? High metascore? Starved 3DS owners?
There was next to no marketing, and it didn't really get any attention by the press pre-release.

I'd imagine all three yeah.
 

ezekial45

Banned
I dunno. They probably pitch well. Their "game style" is in vogue. They haven't bombed for everybody yet. There honestly aren't that many non-shit tier independent studios left these days.

Conversely, they're in an expensive development market, they're not fast with their games, and they have a track record of bombs.

You're acting this is exclusive to NT. PG never really had a major hit either up until MGR. Bayonetta had to crawl to 1mill and Vanquish barely made it to 750k. Would you call PG a studio with a poor track record?

this isn't a black and white issue. They aren't industry pariahs now, after making critically well received games, and publishers clearly want to continue to work with them. So they are doing something right,
 

Averon

Member
I dunno. They probably pitch well. Their "game style" is in vogue. They haven't bombed for everybody yet. There honestly aren't that many non-shit tier independent studios left these days.

Conversely, they're in an expensive development market, they're not fast with their games, and they have a track record of bombs.

That's the only thing that makes sense to me. Tameem must be one hell of a salesman because any other studio would've folded by now.
 

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
It depends how Nintendo views it for their own report, since it was a digital copy sold at retail.

But the digital copy is already pre-loaded on the system, right? So the user would never go through the eShop to get to it. So it makes sense that its counted as a retail title.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
None of those bombings were Ninja Theory's fault though. Especially for Enslaved or DmC. As long as their games continue reviewing well and get a lot of press/attention, I don't see why any publisher would view them as toxic.

I would also managed Ninja Theory has a good relation with publishers and meets their deadlines (which matters a lot).

Pretty sure DmC was over deadline. Also had to have a lot of extensive rework from Itsuno and co. Not exactly an ideal situation. Oh and all that Heavenly Sword bad blood with Sony/Cambridge bailing them the fuck out.

Wait hang on this is deep sarcasm I'm not detecting isn't it. Shit.
 
I would expect Reggie to leave on his own volition. He can only sell what he has been given and Nintendo of Japan makes most of the important decisions.

Reggie can get out now still having the success of the Wii behind him.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
You're acting this is exclusive to NT. PG never really had a major hit either up until MGR. Bayonetta had to crawl to 1mill and Vanquish barely made it to 750k. Would you call PG a studio with a poor track record?

Um, yes? PG has a horrible track record. But I know why publishers choose to work with them these days: they're cheap, they're fast, and probably a little desperate. Maybe on both sides. Hello Nintendo pulling Bayonetta 2 out of the trash.

They ate an eclair off the top of the trash. Real talk.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
Pretty sure DmC was over deadline. Also had to have a lot of extensive rework from Itsuno and co. Not exactly an ideal situation. Oh and all that Heavenly Sword bad blood with Sony/Cambridge bailing them the fuck out.

Wait hang on this is deep sarcasm I'm not detecting isn't it. Shit.

There's no bad blood with Sony. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they hooked up again for a new bomba.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
No, you're grossly underestimating the amount of money third parties get per game.

Yeah EA explicitly listed the margin as about 60%, which is the same $36 a lot of other breakdowns have arrived at once you remove packaging/shipping, console license fee, and retailer margin.

Of course that assumes full price.
 

Slurmer

Banned
there seems to be a VERY sharp divide between what critics think, and what series fans think.

all due respect to kagari, but that seems to be a perfect example. note: I do not own the game, but by all accounts, it's solid mechanically, looks nice, etc. Had it not been named DmC, it wouldn't be getting the vitriol.
Not a "perfect" game by any means, but then again neither was Devil May Cry 1, or 4.

I find it hard to believe it's definitively worse than devil may cry 2 as well. (edit: i do own and have played DMC1-3. skipped 4, because it seemed more of the same and I wasn't really interested.)

very, very strange reaction to this game, and it's been going on long before we even saw footage.
I am sure part of it is the negative backlash the game has received since its reveal. That amount of hate is going to leave some residual effect. I am also pretty confident that a lot of GAF that hates on it has never played it because that is what GAF does. The game has flaws, but the amount of hate it gets compared to its flaws is very disproportionate.

I have played all of the DMC games and really enjoyed it. I probably had more fun with dmc3 but it is miles better than dmc2. It has certain advantages over 4 like not having to backtrack for half the campaign. Id also rather play it over the original DMC, because I don't feel that it has aged very well. Sooo...dmc3>>dmc4>DMC>dmc1>>>>>>dmc2...something like that.

30fps vs 60fps doesn't bother me. It doesn't make the game feel "slow" to me. I understand this as a legit complaint, but don't think it is a cause for predetermined dismissal. People that act almost offended or insulted by this is really fucking weird to me...maybe I'm just getting old.
 
No, you're grossly underestimating the amount of money third parties get per game.

and you're grossly underestimating the amount of money the publisher has to give back to the retailer to compensate for them slashing prices to get the games off the shelves.
 

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
What do you mean not NT's fault? Are you only attributing "blame" for bombs to studios if the games are poorly received?

What else would you blame them for? (as a publisher). The game's were well received critically and any decisions made that hurt the game's sales were likely made with the publisher's consent, if not at their prerogative.
 

ezekial45

Banned
Um, yes? PG has a horrible track record.

What I'm getting as is that is the poor sale shouldn't define the studio. PG did things well, and they got recognized by other publishers.

That's what I'm saying. It shouldn't end for them there -- PG clearly made a successful game now, and I do think NT has the chance to do that too. I was hoping DmC would do it, but fortunately the skills they picked up from working with Capcom will benefit them for whatever game they make next/
 
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