Next morning:
"WHY DIDN'T THIS SELL 15 MILLION COPIES!? D:"
Haha, it was so disappointing that From only sold about 2 million copies of the first game, and that somehow being a success. Surely they need 15 million or the franchise will die!
I hope Namco's marketing has nothing to do with the actual costs to the game. From doesn't spend high amounts of money on projects, so they're one of the few companies who can actually accomplish meaningful sales figures that don't seem to be aimed at the fucking moon.
and you?
The first preview on the game from EDGE talked about Miyazaki being booted out from his role due to higher ups wanting a different direction, and he's lamented that he hasn't had a big role on the project outside of supervisor. I doubt From would boot the guy who basically created their biggest franchise, so the finger goes to the international publisher. That's the thing I am concerned with; a focus on a "different direction". What did Miyazaki have that was in the way of that, when he was director and producer on the series? I can only think that Namco was not happy with his philosophy on the games; he's said in an interview he designed those games because he was masochistic and wanted to be punished. Those types of games find niches, but never the mainstream. Those types of games are often not part of the AAA echelon, and Namco finally has something else to their name that sells that isn't Tekken or Naruto. No shit they're going to want to fluff it up.