-
Introducing NeoGAF Gold
Media Create Sales: Week 5, 2015 (Jan 26 - Feb 01)
- Thread starter Chris1964
- Start date
- 735
I hope that the absolute dreadful reception ToZ has received hasn't killed the chances of its inevitable PS4 complete edition releasing in the future 
However it puts Bamco in a bad spot going forward. They really need a "OMG! It's amazing" Tales to get all the good will back. Not sure if they have it in them.
If it was a few years ago that would be almost too believable a move. Concentrating on one set of platforms is probably the only good move they've made recently.
Well putting out subpar titles is a good way to have that slip away. I'm not suggesting the games are going to start bombing any time soon but it's good to stop the infection before it spreads.
EDIT:
But it's not like Zestiria is the only game fans have had issues with. They need to be keeping people onside.
Well putting out subpar titles is a good way to have that slip away. I'm not suggesting the games are going to start bombing any time soon but it's good to stop the infection before it spreads.
EDIT:
But it's not like Zestiria is the only game fans have had issues with. They need to be keeping people onside.
I don't really see the alarm or anything. Why pretend that Tales is a series which hasn't historically had its ups and downs? Look at the sales for all the mainline Tales across 5 year periods. The titles which sell the most tend to be the first new one on Playstation platform, before the sales start to decline again. ToZ on PS3 is far from the worst selling Tales game, and by the time it's done selling, it'll pretty much be above average when compared to the final couple of PS2 Tales.
ToD - 829,618 (PS1, 1997)
ToP - 550,394 (PS1, 1998)
ToE - 669,248 (PS1, 2000)
ToD2 - 762,861 (PS2, 2002)
ToS - 322,779 (GC, 2003)
ToS - 394,312 (PS2, 2004)
ToR - 596,493 (PS2, 2004)
TotA - 556,465 (PS2, 2005)
ToL - 342,779 (PS2, 2005)
ToD - 367,998 (PS2, 2006)
ToH - 261,751 (DS, 2008)
ToV - 204,305 (360, 2008)
ToG - 212,769 (Wii, 2009)
ToV - 408,171 (PS3, 2009)
ToG - 338,628 (PS3, 2010)
ToX - 670,182 (PS3, 2011)
ToX2 - 459,384 (PS3, 2012)
ToZ - 346,430 (PS3, 2015) <-- Still selling
ToD - 829,618 (PS1, 1997)
ToP - 550,394 (PS1, 1998)
ToE - 669,248 (PS1, 2000)
ToD2 - 762,861 (PS2, 2002)
ToS - 322,779 (GC, 2003)
ToS - 394,312 (PS2, 2004)
ToR - 596,493 (PS2, 2004)
TotA - 556,465 (PS2, 2005)
ToL - 342,779 (PS2, 2005)
ToD - 367,998 (PS2, 2006)
ToH - 261,751 (DS, 2008)
ToV - 204,305 (360, 2008)
ToG - 212,769 (Wii, 2009)
ToV - 408,171 (PS3, 2009)
ToG - 338,628 (PS3, 2010)
ToX - 670,182 (PS3, 2011)
ToX2 - 459,384 (PS3, 2012)
ToZ - 346,430 (PS3, 2015) <-- Still selling
I feel Tales on PS3 benefited a lot from the general lack of competition for console JRPGs.
I guess that's still true, but these days they have the problem of a lack of consoles to sell the game on.
Or, to put it another way, they have to do a lot more of the "sell people on the platform" lifting themselves.
I guess that's still true, but these days they have the problem of a lack of consoles to sell the game on.
Or, to put it another way, they have to do a lot more of the "sell people on the platform" lifting themselves.
Right, if Tales fails to take off in the future, it will be because the PS4 fails to take off in Japan. If the entire console market for core games starts to collapse, then it would be hard to see where Tales can find a platform which can support a >500k release of any kind.
I don't see Tales as a franchise which really sells people on a platform though, I feel it is the reverse - Tales games sell best on platforms when the people who are likely to buy it already play that platform regularly. There isn't really a major shortage of games who will attempt to do the heavy lifting for the PS4 in Japan - DQ, FF, MGS, Yakuza, Persona, RE, etc are all on board. The only question is whether they will succeed. If they do, there's nothing Tales has to worry about. If they don't, then nothing Tales will do can change that.
I don't see Tales as a franchise which really sells people on a platform though, I feel it is the reverse - Tales games sell best on platforms when the people who are likely to buy it already play that platform regularly. There isn't really a major shortage of games who will attempt to do the heavy lifting for the PS4 in Japan - DQ, FF, MGS, Yakuza, Persona, RE, etc are all on board. The only question is whether they will succeed. If they do, there's nothing Tales has to worry about. If they don't, then nothing Tales will do can change that.
I'm not actually sure that's going to be an issue. PS4 has/is going to have Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Persona and Dragon Quest. That could offset the general lower demand for consoles.
I think a good parallel for what I'm talking about is Zelda. Every game is pretty good but they all have issues that put fans off and they have to try to fix them with the next release. Some entries buck the trend every now and then but it's been a longterm decline.
Some people mentioned you get a code for the PS3 game for free with the Vita game(or something like that) so there was a good chance it would do better?
I think a good parallel for what I'm talking about is Zelda. Every game is pretty good but they all have issues that put fans off and they have to try to fix them with the next release. Some entries buck the trend every now and then but it's been a longterm decline.
Some people mentioned you get a code for the PS3 game for free with the Vita game(or something like that) so there was a good chance it would do better?
Well, the other way to look at this is that Tales would have to be incredibly impressive to try and succeed in that kind of environment by getting a very high attach rate.
But I think that conceptually isn't going to be worthwhile for them since why would you invest so much against a business opportunity that has fundamentally failed, especially when your game is unlikely to succeed overseas.
When Capcom dumps $50 million into Resident Evil 7, even if they sell zero copies in Japan, there's a huge payoff opportunity abroad. I don't think Tales could ever get into that space while still being Tales as we think of it today.
If consoles do manage to dig enough of a pit that they're completely nonviable, then it might make sense to try and invest in reinventing the franchise to be stronger on either portable or mobile devices.
But I think that conceptually isn't going to be worthwhile for them since why would you invest so much against a business opportunity that has fundamentally failed, especially when your game is unlikely to succeed overseas.
When Capcom dumps $50 million into Resident Evil 7, even if they sell zero copies in Japan, there's a huge payoff opportunity abroad. I don't think Tales could ever get into that space while still being Tales as we think of it today.
If consoles do manage to dig enough of a pit that they're completely nonviable, then it might make sense to try and invest in reinventing the franchise to be stronger on either portable or mobile devices.
I have the same feeling. I feel that Namco is not doing any favors to Tales with each successive blunder. It is not like the fanbase for their games, or even console games, is expanding, so I believe that it will become harder and harder to recover the angry fans that stop following the franchise.
Well, I haven't read anything about the free code, but I expect that even if the game does better than the PS3 game, it will be bomba tier. It is a sad situation for Spike Chunsoft.
Well, I haven't read anything about the free code, but I expect that even if the game does better than the PS3 game, it will be bomba tier. It is a sad situation for Spike Chunsoft.
Well there's a lot of doubt about a third one being made so it's not great.
I didn't know they developed Fossil Fighters. They had nothing to do with the DS one(s) right?
The most popular anime IP only doing that much on that big of a userbase? Sounds like a bomb to me.
EDIT: Now Tri-Ace, there's a developer who really can't catch a break.
I didn't know they developed Fossil Fighters. They had nothing to do with the DS one(s) right?
The most popular anime IP only doing that much on that big of a userbase? Sounds like a bomb to me.
I forgot Attack on Titan was theirs, that was a great result.
EDIT: Now Tri-Ace, there's a developer who really can't catch a break.
Makes me wonder if they'll publish the Wii U/3DS versions in Japan too. Well, the 3DS version at least should be profitable venture.
Uchikoshi already explained it was the crappy sales in Japan that blocked things. Probably wouldn't be a problem if they hadn't gone overboard with multiplat and full VA for the novel sections (there's a sh*tload of voiced text in that game, and from well-known VAs too!).
And since they go through a publisher for the West, that means less revenue for them... It's a shame really.
About Attack on Titan, I wonder when the hell Atlus is gonna make their localisation announcement?
Uchikoshi already explained it was the crappy sales in Japan that blocked things. Probably wouldn't be a problem if they hadn't gone overboard with multiplat and full VA for the novel sections (there's a sh*tload of voiced text in that game, and from well-known VAs too!).
And since they go through a publisher for the West, that means less revenue for them... It's a shame really.
About Attack on Titan, I wonder when the hell Atlus is gonna make their localisation announcement?